Travel to Fate
by alenya121
Summary: CH. 20 UP FINALLY ! My job led me to La Push. My rickety old car made me stop. He made me stay. AU JacobOC Imprint.
1. Arrival

A/N: Hey. I got bored a while back and I was like, 'hey...let's try a twilight fic'. I'm actually not a big fan of the series (hides from angry fangirls) but I do kinda like Jacob. And I don't think it's fair that he got shafted by everyone. Sad. So I'm fixing it!

This is actually part 1 of a larger version of Chapter One so it cuts off in a weird place. Part two (now ch. 2) will be up when I get some feedback on whether I should actually continue with this.

Disclaimer: Don't own shit. If I did, Bella wouldn't be so whiny and Edward would be more of a bad ass vampire.

...

Chapter 1: Arrival

I grinned as I directed the rickety old Volkswagen Bus into a parking spot near a beach. The sun was just setting; perfect timing for pictures. Unfortunately, not the best timing for filming.

I glanced in the back seat. Course it wasn't like my camera man Joe was much up for the job. He was unglamorously sprawled across the middle seat, glasses askew, a tattered book on his chest, and drool threatening to land on the window glass. I smacked his leg unnecessarily hard.

"Oi, Joe! Get a move on!" I yelled, taking the keys out of the ignition. Joe jolted up, sending the book flying across the van. He sniffed and wiped his face.

"Aw, gross," he moaned groggily. "How long was I out?"

"Couple hours. Get a recorder. I wanna see if we can squeeze in an interview or something before everyone around here sits down for dinner."

I jumped out of the van and stretched. Several pops and cracks erupted, causing a groan of pleasure to erupt from inside me. I hated sitting still for very long. I reached back into the cabin of the bus and grabbed the camera bag from the passenger's seat. The sunset over the beach was just was too gorgeous to pass up.

"So who's first?" Joe said through a yawn. I looked up from my camera to see him standing at the rear of the bus. He was absently scratching his puny lanky torso, causing his striped polo to wrinkle further. His brown casual pants were stained from god knew what and hung loosely around his bony waist. Beneath his thin frame glasses peeped hazel brown eyes with dark circles under them.

"You look like hell," I said bluntly.

"You don't look much better yourself," he retorted quickly. And I knew it. My dark hair was by now probably more tangle than curls, my face ashen and my blue eyes bloodshot both from lack of sleep and lack of varied landscape. Nevertheless, I smacked him in his concave little stomach.

"For that, you can start the interview. I think I saw a house back that way," I jerked my thumb down the road. "Little red thing right on the border of the woods. Try there first and see if you can get a feel for life around here."

"What are you gonna do?" he asked, already taking off. I grinned and held up my camera.

"Gonna get the visuals for the feel of life around here," I veritably chirped. And with that, I trotted toward the beach, grinning as I audibly heard Joe mumble a not very kind comment about the situation.

Already I was enjoying this assignment: documenting travel media for the Olympic Peninsula. Joe and I had systematically weaved our way around the peninsula in that old VW Bus, taking pictures, getting interviews with locals, and getting footage of nature and wildlife. It was gorgeous to be outside after years of desk intern work. I didn't even mind the perpetual damp. God, I was loving this internship.

I kept snapping pictures until the sun was nearly below the horizon. I marveled at the oranges of the sun's reflection on the water, the purples and greys of the magnificent cliffs, the lush hunter green of the vegetation, the rich browns and textures of the fallen trees. I worked my way back up to the bus, snapping a picture of the sign as I left: First Beach.

I trekked back up the road toward where I had sent Joe. My camera was still around my neck; though it was getting too dark to film a proper video interview, maybe whoever Joe had found would succumb to a few quick photographs. I roughly ran my fingers through my curls, wincing at the tiny knots that had erupted. Grumbling, I stopped walking and tossed my head forward, shaking my chestnut hair out in front of me. I held it in a ponytail and righted myself, securing the handful of limp curls with a spare ponytail holder. I straightened my hand tie-dyed wife beater and dark wash jeans, twisted my helix piercing for luck and continued up the road.

The little red house I had seen turned out to be a small square thing, more shack than house. But it fit; you couldn't imagine a different looking building in that natural little nook in the woods. I caught a glimpse of Joe's dirty blond curls in front of the open front door. I sped up, eager to show him what I thought to be nearly professional grade photos.

"And your tribe has resided in La Push for...well, basically forever?"

A deep chuckle. "No Quileute from this area can remember living anywhere else nor can they remember anyone who lived anywhere else so forever seems a very fitting description."

Behind Joe was an older man in a wheelchair. His russet face creased in wrinkles was looking upward at Joe in an openly kind and unearthly wise manner. I quickened my pace, already grinning at the fact that our first encounter with the Native American local was a pleasant one. As I got closer, both Joe and the man in the chair turned toward me.

"Hey, Kathleen. Get what you wanted?" Joe called.

"Holy God, did I!" I exclaimed, jogging the last few feet, one hand on the camera to keep it from bouncing. "How's the interview going?"

"Brilliantly, actually," Joe said. pressing pause on the recorder. "Mr. Black, this is Kathleen Harken, the brains of the operation. I am merely her gopher and computer geek."

"He flatters me unnecessarily," I grinned punching him playfully in the arm.

"Ow."

"Call me Billy, please," the old man said, extending a hand. I shook it firmly; the chair and old age made him look frailer than he actually was. "So what brings you out to La Push, Ms. Harken?"

"Kathleen, please, sir. And this is a little job that my internship sent me over to do. Me and Joe are driving this broken down old VW Bus up and down the peninsula getting footage for various travel mediums. Photos, articles, video, audio, visual, and that sort," I grinned. "Speaking of, check the photos I got of the beach!" I slung the camera off my neck.

"VW Bus? Wow, haven't seen one of those on the road in decades," Billy nearly whistled.

"Yeah its an ancient thing. Barely runs. Had to pray going over several hills on the way up here," I laughed as I waited for the camera to turn back on.

"If it's a tune-up you need, my son is quite the mechanic. He could take a look at it for you if you like."

"Oh, please, Mr. Black. We don't want to put him or you out," I looked up from the camera momentarily.

"It's not a trouble at all. Jacob loves this sort of thing. He'll appreciate a break from his schoolwork. Jacob!" Billy called the last word out in a surprisingly commanding voice. I turned my attention back to the camera; after all, what could some little high-schooler do about my decrepit old Bus?

"Yeah, Dad?" a very husky voice sounded from in front of me, making me jump and shiver; I hadn't heard anyone approach.

"Dang, Kathleen, these are actually decent!" Joe exclaimed as I flipped to a particularly breathtaking view of the sunset and wooded shoreline.

"No need to sound so shocked!" I grinned up at him.

"These two were wondering if you wouldn't mind taking a look at their car," I heard Billy tell whoever had appeared.

"If it's not too much trouble," I said quickly. I looked up and smiled warmly. Then it faded to a slight gape. In front of me, towering over me, was a man of at least his mid-twenties. His black hair was cropped, framing a bright and open russet face. His dark eyes twinkled at what I supposed was the thought of a distraction from schoolwork. Then those eyes turned slowly to me. I tried to rearrange my face to its previous smile.

Several things happened in succession. The man's face fell from mirth to shock. He straightened quickly. His black eyes flashed as they locked with mine. His expression cleared. Then it started to twist again, to shock, to confusion, to anger, to determination.

Then I felt my stomach churn. Whether it was from impending hunger or the queer looks that this newcomer was giving me, I didn't know. I could feel the silence bearing down on me. I wanted to look away but his eyes, now steely, had me in a vice grip.

"Andrea's going to love these, Kat." I barely heard Joe's voice beside me. "Kathleen?" The heightened worry in his voice registered dully. I felt his cool fingers touch my elbow concernedly.

But it was the growl that brought me back.

I shook my head slightly. I glanced at the woods quickly; whatever had made that low, guttural, territorial noise was close and I didn't want to impose on a creature that was capable of making such a threatening sound. So much for pleasant first encounters.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Joe," I said off-hand, still looking in the forest. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the mid-twenties man's hand clench on the back of Billy's wheelchair. I looked back at the duo; Billy was looking up at the man beside him, his crinkled black eyes glinting with forbidden knowledge, as if he knew some secret of the man's. And the man was still staring at me and Joe.

I tried to meet his gaze again, but he looked down at the ground quickly. "Um, yeah. Don't feel obligated or anything. W-We don't want to cause any trouble," I stammered, still trying to quell my rumbling stomach.

Billy must have heard it. "Would you two like to stay for dinner? Sam and Emily brought over some beef stew for me that you're welcome to share with us," he asked, looking at me with newfound interest.

"We couldn't, Mr. Black. Joe and I need to head back in town anyway to find a motel or something," I rushed. I was already not feeling comfortable around this gargantuan newcomer.

"Well, at least something for the road or something while Jacob takes a look at your car," Billy insisted.

I glanced over at Joe. He was flashing me a pointed, pleading look. We hadn't had anything resembling home cooked food in weeks. And Joe was nearly looking anorexic as it was. I smiled and patted his arm familiarly. A low grumble sounded again, so deep one could almost mistake it for thunder. I dismissed it.

"Thank you very much, Billy, I think we will take you up on that. One can only stomach fast food for so long," I smiled. With that, Billy turned his chair inward to lead the way in, Joe hot on his tail. I hesitated.

"I'm going to go grab the bus, Joe," I called after.

"You want me to come with?" he called back. Already, I could hear the familial sounds of clinking kitchen utensils.

"I think I can handle it. Go ahead and start without me." I turned on my heel and started the trek back down the street. I let out a long exhale; somewhere in there I had forgotten how to breathe deeply.

"I'll come with you," the husky voice was at my elbow. My breath caught again; I hadn't heard him.

"You don't have to. It's not like it's a confusing town," I joked, still trying to calm my thumping heart.

"Just to be safe," he said, his voice authoritative. I bristled a bit. I wasn't too fond of authority, especially when it came from someone I didn't know.

"So you're Jacob?"

He flashed a brilliant grin, his white teeth glistening in the dying sun. I swore my heart skipped half a beat.

"I am."

"Billy said you were doing coursework. What are you studying?"

He looked confused. "Just....normal high school stuff. I'm a senior."

I had to catch myself from stopping dead in my tracks. I felt his large hand catch the small of my back. One, there was no way a high school senior was that tall and had that large of hands. Two, those hands were impossibly warm. I shivered at the temperature difference.

"You ok?" he asked, his eyes full of genuine worry and concern. I checked myself.

"Fine. How - How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

I couldn't help but scoff.

"What?" His look changed from worry to self-apprehension. He looked almost puppy-dogish. It was adorable.

"You can't be eighteen."

He grinned and laughed, more of a bark than actually laughter. "The Quileute men tend to mature faster than normal teenagers." His eyes twinkled mischievously down at me.

We arrived at the makeshift parking lot. I hear Jacob whistle lowly. I glared at him.

"Don't you dare make fun of my baby," I threatened, narrowing my eyes.

"She's...a beast," Jacob suppressed laughter as he walked closer to it. I ran ahead and hugged the body of the Bus fondly.

"She's gorgeous."

"She has blinds. And a faded paint job. And old '60's decals. What's this, Jefferson Airplane?" He bent down to read some of the worn-down stickers that decorated the back doors like the pictures on an ice-cream truck. He clucked his tongue. I frowned and tried to bump him off balance with my hip. He didn't budge lest to look up at me funny. Our eyes met and I felt my stomach churn again. I wrenched mine away and walked around to the driver's side, tracing the side with a finger.

"I love her. So shut up."

Jacob laughed again. I looked up and glared. "Sorry," he threw up his hands in mock arrest.

"You can start your amends by seeing what's up with her," I said in my best biting tone, tossing him the keys. He didn't even need to stretch to catch them squarely in his right hand. He unlocked the driver's side door, popped the hood and handed the keys back as he passed to the front and went to work, carefully eyeing the parts.

I jumped into the front seat, rolled down the window, closed the door, and leaned my back against it, letting my head hang out the open window. From here, I could eye him more closely. It was true, he looked nothing like an eighteen year old. I finally looked past his face long enough to notice he was wearing nothing but a white wifebeater, now becoming slightly stained with grease and oil from my Bus, and some tattered old jeans that looked to have been mended several times. He wore no shoes. His muscles rippled under his shirt as he moved. I found myself mesmerized. He wasn't overly muscular but was certainly fit enough to show that he frequented the gym. It was undeniable that this man - boy - no, man, was attractive. Not in the unearthly, unnatural manner, but a boy-next-door, doesn't quite realize his hotness potential, kind of attractive. It was the face, I concluded, the boyish, mischievous countenance that kept him from being model material.

He looked up and grinned; he caught me looking. I felt my ears go hot and I began to twist my helix piercing nervously. He held up his hands, now sullied with grease and oil. "Got a towel?" he asked.

I nodded fuzzily and crawled toward the back of the van. I dodged various pieces of equipment, books, papers, and irrelevant junk before reaching mine and Joe's suitcases. I stuck my hand in one and came out with a ratty old t-shirt. Probably Joe's, I thought. Whatever, looks like it's about to die anyway. I crawled back up and stuck my head out the window.

It hit rock. Warm rock. Then the rock shook and rumbled. I looked up; Jacob had moved and the rock I had hit was his chest. I smiled sheepishly and held up the shirt. He grinned and took it. I propped myself up on my knees and kept leaning out the window. I was now roughly at his chin, my mind buzzing obnoxiously at our proximity. Down, girl, he's three years younger than you, I had to remind myself.

"So what's the prognosis?" I asked, trying to keep my voice from slipping into anything that could be construed at seductive.

"She'll live," he said, looking down at me. "Just needs a little tweaking. If you want, we can take it back to my house, I can do the repairs and have it back to you in two days tops."

"Oh, Jacob, I can just take it to a garage or something," I insisted.

"You will not!" He looked mortally offended. "Those places will take one look at you, see how gorgeous you are, and rip you off and no one's the wiser." He grinned and chucked the t-shirt at my head. "Besides, maybe I want you to stick around a little longer."

Thank God for that t-shirt because I could feel myself start to blush.

I managed to compose myself, rip that nasty rag off my head, and chuck it in the bag by the time Jacob had closed the hood and opened the passenger door. I started the car, saying my usual words of encouragement and praise to the engine and, trying to ignore Jacob's visibly shaking shoulders and mirthful grin, I pulled out of the spot and headed over to the Black's house.

...

A/N: Like it? Hate it? Should it disappear into the hole of suckish fanfictions that are never completed? Drop me a review and let me know.


	2. Stories

A/N: No reviews yet. Course it hasn't even been a day so I'm not TOO worried. But seriously folks, PLEASE send me some feedback on this. I'm really out of my element here and I want to make sure I'm not butchering anything.

I'm adding this now because originally this chapter and Chapter 1 were one massive chapter and I still think it flows better with them together. The format of this story usually switches from Kathleen's POV to Jacob's POV soooo....next chapter will be from Jacob!! you know, unless I don't get some reviews...

Disclaimer: Twilight is certainly not mine. Wish Jacob was though!

...

Chapter 2: Stories

"Well, she already sounds a bit better," Joe said upon mine and Jacob's entrance. He and Billy were seated around a small dining table in the front room, Joe practically guzzling stew.

"God, Joe, breathe. Chew. Savor," I rolled my eyes at him. Jacob touched my elbow. I jerked my head around. His touch, though light, nearly burned me. He jerked his head toward a doorway that I suspected lead to the kitchen. I followed.

"What's the deal with him?" Jacob's voice was rough suddenly. I frowned. A minute ago, he had been full on seductive and flirting. Now he was hostile.

"With who?" I asked, stepping up next to him beside the stove. Jacob turned to me and handed me an already full bowl of stew.

"That Joe guy," Jacob's voice had a hint of a growl. My eyebrows twitched and I felt my neck hairs stand up a bit at the sound.

"He's my computer geek." Jacob looked relatively blank. "You know, content to sit in a lab for hours on end. Kinda rubbish in most social spheres but brilliant in anything technological. Which is essential to me because anything resembling a machine tends to destruct in my hands."

"Which explains the state of your bus." His grin was back. He turned and suddenly our proximity was better known. I could feel his body heat radiating off him. It felt nice, considering I tended to run a little cold. I held back the urge to run my cold hands under his mussed shirt, up his toned abs. Instead, I turned and hastened back to the table, both hands on the stew for warmth.

I sat on the empty side of the table. Jacob pulled his chair closer to mine and sat in it. I double took when he put down two enormous bowls of the stew.

"Hungry much?" I gaped.

"I'm a growing boy." He laughed briefly before starting to spoon large mouthfuls of the stew into his mouth.

I glanced at Billy and Joe. Joe was too involved in his own stew to notice and Billy looked throughly nonplussed at his son's rapid consumption. In fact, he was looking intently from Jacob to me and back again, that knowing smile back on his face, his wise eyes shading something I couldn't decipher.

"So tell us more about the Quileute tribe," Joe said between mouthfuls. Billy looked away from me and Jacob to smile at Joe. I heard Jacob grumble beside me and I choked back a grin; apparently his mature looks didn't save him from embarrassing parents.

"Well legend holds that our tribe descends from wolves. The Quileutes were changed from wolves to humans by a wandering Transformer, a sort of supernatural being," said Billy cryptically.

"So, what, some mysterious alien type thing beamed down and changed a bunch of wolves into humans?" Joe said, looking up.

"You are such a geek," I groaned, rolling my eyes. "Joe, you don't reduce a culture's beliefs about their creation to a Star Trek plot summary."

Billy chuckled. "I know it sounds outrageous, but there are stories of the men in our tribe holding onto the traits of the wolves."

I felt Jacob stiffen beside me.

"What, they have an affinity for raw meat and sniffing butts?"

"JOE!" I was shocked.

"What? It's a joke." Joe shrugged.

"Tactless," I muttered, taking another bite of my stew.

"Not quite, Joe," Billy said. He was being insufferable patient with my socially retarded friend. "There was a man in our tribe named Taha Aki. Because our tribe had mystical beginnings, our blood has always had traces of magic. We have always had a connection with our wolf ancestors as well as other animals, believing our spirits had links to various animals. Taha Aki, however, was the first to have his spirit share the body of his animal."

"And his animal was...?" I couldn't help myself

"A wolf." Billy looked at me seriously. Jacob shifted and cleared his throat.

"So....he could...become a wolf? Like, morph into one randomly?" Joe spoke up.

"Yes. Supposedly," Billy qualified.

"So he was a werewolf."

I looked at Joe. He was looking kind of excited. I shook my head. His science-fiction adoration was flaming up again. "There's no such thing as werewolves, geekosaur." I grinned over at Jacob, who was looking stonily down into his half eaten second bowl.

"Well, not like the stories say. Taha Aki could change when he wanted. It was not triggered by the full moon, like popular stories claim, but extreme emotion. And Taha Aki and his sons, who inherited the ability, did not become complete savages when they changed. They retained their humanity."

"Hmm," Joe mused as he scooped up the rest of his stew. "Could be an interesting addition, Kat." He grinned across the table at me.

Oh, yeah. The project.

"Yeah, it would. Local history and legend and all that. Would you mind if we came back sometime and heard more stories?"

Billy grinned. "You are welcome anytime, Kathleen," he said warmly. I smiled. He reminded me so much of my own father, only even more compassionate and accommodating. "Speaking of, do you two know where you're staying tonight?"

Joe and I looked at each other. "I think we were going to try and find a motel or something in Forks," Joe said, pushing his bowl back.

"Either that or we'll camp out in the Bus," I said. "We've had to do it before."

"Well Jacob's working on your car, isn't he?" Billy asked. "So you're kind of short a ride until he finishes."

Oh yeah. I had forgotten about that little detail.

"We have an extra room upstairs if you two want to stay here. It's the twins' old room. You could both probably squeeze in there," Billy continued.

I swear I felt Jacob start vibrating beside me. And I swear I caught a mischievous glint in Billy's eyes as he looked at his son.

"Hell no he won't," I heard myself speak up. I felt all three guys' eyes on me. "He snores," I finished lamely.

"Well there's Jacob's room," Billy mused. "But there isn't really much room."

"I can take the couch," Joe offered. "It's only for a night or so."

"Maybe a couple," piped in Jacob.

"I can take it. Just gotta grab my suitcase. Want me to grab yours, Kat?" Joe said, standing with his bowl.

"No I'll get it in a bit."

"I'll grab it," Jacob said at the exact same time. I looked up at him.

"You don't...have to..." I stammered. Jacob flashed that bright white grin at me again. I felt something very warm smooth the top of my head then trace down my jaw line. It was his hand. Still impossibly warm. I shivered again.

"I want to," he murmured before following Joe out the front door. I watched him go blankly, still feeling that warm, now tingling trace of his on the side of my face. I drew a shaky breath and looked back at the table. Billy had been watching me.

"I'm really sorry about Joe. He has...issues socially. He isn't really as ignorant and insensitive as he comes off," I blabbered, grinning like an idiot, trying to mask the awkwardness of the gorgeous man's father watching me watch his gorgeous son.

Billy was silent.

"And...thanks again for dinner. And the stories. And offering Jacob to fix my V dub." Billy was still silent. I got the feeling he was sizing me up a bit, trying to peer into my soul. "I - I feel like I'm taking advantage. You're doing so much for us and I'm doing nothing in return."

"Don't worry, you'll do enough," Billy said cryptically. Double entendre warning.

"Hmm?"

"With the travel material. La Push and Forks could use a little more tourism dollars coming in," Billy said, all mystery aside. I shook my head to clear it. My imagination was wandering again.

The door opened again. Joe poked his head in. "Kat, we need the keys," he hollered.

I laughed, the sound hollow in my ears. I fished the keys out and tossed them to him. Joe grinned, nodded to me and Billy, and closed the door again. I stood and began gathering up the dishes.

"I can get that," Billy offered, already wheeling around.

"Nonsense. You provided food and entertainment. It's the least I can do to help clean up," I smiled. I felt Billy soften slightly and handed over the bowls he gathered. I took the dishes into the kitchen and dumped them into the sink. I turned on the water and picked up the sponge. It felt strangely good to do chores again. It was a homey feeling, a feeling I missed from not having a steady home due to college and jobs and shoots. I became so comfortable, I began humming a random song and dancing a bit.

"Having fun?" His hot breath in my ear made me jump and yelp. He laughed low, still in my ear. "Sorry." I felt his hands lightly on my hips, which were now stationary.

I turned under him, unconsciously pressing against the counter. I finally realized the enormous physical difference between us. I was tall. Taller than most girls at just a few inches under 6 foot. But he dwarfed me. I came just to his chest. And this guy had no sense of personal space. He arched over me, making me have to arch backwards over the sink. Again, I could feel his unnaturally hot physique inches from me.

My own personal furnace.

Stop it, Kathleen.

I tried to shove him away. Nothing happened. I used two hands. He swayed slightly but his feet stayed firmly planted. I huffed, braced my feet against the counter and pressed my weight against him, trying to get him to move. I felt his chest rumble in laughter.

"What are you doing?" I heard through his chest. My ear was on his chest. I jumped back.

"Trying to get you to move," I muttered lamely, turning back to the sink. I could still feel him behind me.

"You could have asked." I could hear the teasing tone.

"Will you move?"

"Nope."

I bit the corner of my lip, trying not to smile. I finished up the last bowl and set it aside. I clenched the edge of the sink, contemplating my next move. There were questions I was burning to ask him, my writer's instincts kicking in.

"So is that all true?" I took the plunge.

"Is what all true?"

I turned. Jacob was rummaging around in the fridge.

"You can't still be hungry!"

Jacob popped up, a carrot in his mouth and a leg of chicken in his hand. He grinned, yanking off a bite of the carrot. He shrugged as he chewed. He disappeared again.

"Two overflowing bowls of the heartiest beef stew I've had in ages and he's still hungry. Insanity," I muttered under my breath. I jumped up onto the counter, crossing my legs and watching him. "You must be a gym rat to work all that off."

Jacob turned, closing the fridge with a bare foot. "I run." He gave another mischievous grin. "A lot."

"That'll explain it."

"You want anything?"

"Please. I'm stuffed."

He padded towards me, his feet making virtually no sound. I looked down.

"How do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Sneak around and make no noise. I don't think I've heard you once today." I looked up. He was right in front of me, invading my space again. I tried to scoot back further on the counter, but I hit my head on the cabinet. I inhaled sharply.

"What happened?" Jacob's voice changed from soft and nearly sultry to near fearful worry. I gawked at him. He was so schizo.

"I'm fine, I just hit my head on the cabinet."

"You ok?"

"It's...a bump. Nowhere near life-threatening," I commented in my best biting tone. He deflated slightly. I nudged him with my foot. "Oi, kidding. Would you rather I scream, cry, and faint into your arms?"

Jacob grinned and looked up through his lashes. "The you in my arms doesn't sound so bad," he said huskily. I had to swallow hard and remind myself that he was too young. But before I could do anything, he had placed his hands on my waist and lifted me down to the floor.

"Come on. I put your stuff in my sisters' room. I'll show you." And suddenly, he was a little boy. He took my hand in his and drug me out of the kitchen. "I'm going to show Kathleen her room, Dad," Jacob said. Billy looked up from the TV and smiled at us, that queer knowledge still in his eyes. He nodded and I felt myself be tugged up the stairs.

We landed in a narrow, dimly lit hallway. The walls were lined with family portraits, but I couldn't get a good look at them. When we finally stopped moving, I realized I was in a moderate sized room with two twin sized beds shoved against the left and right walls. The walls were stained with faint outlines of old posters that had been taken down ages ago. There were two desks shoved together on the back wall in front of a large window that opened to the forest behind the house. The bed on the right was made up freshly. The bed on my left held my suitcase. My camera and my laptop bag were already on one of the desks.

I smiled. "Thanks, Jacob. I really appreciate everything you and your dad are doing for us."

"Our pleasure. My room is the next one down, just on the other side of this wall," he knocked on the right wall, "so no late night booty calls."

I gave my oh darn snap. "Guess I'll have to cut down."

Jacob laughed, but the sound was kinda half-hearted. "So if you need anything at anytime, let me know. I'll let you get...settled or whatever."

He was on his way out.

"Wait."

He poked his head back in. "Yes?"

"You never answered my question."

"What question was that?"

He stepped in and leaned against the doorframe, looking down at me. I quickly sidled over to my suitcase so that I had something to do while I nudged around his tribe's history.

"That story your dad told. Is it true?"

"Thought you said there was no such thing as werewolves?"

I turned on the pretext of putting a pair of jeans on the spare desk. I caught his face; he was grinning, but it didn't reach his eyes. I turned back to the suitcase.

"There aren't, are there?" I questioned.

The room was silent. I was going about this wrong. For God's sakes, I was debating whether it was possible for a human to become an animal. And I had the feeling I was insulting Jacob's culture by doubting the existence of werewolves or shape-shifters or whatever.

"So your tribe's always had a connection with animals?"

"Yeah. Obviously, we've always respected the wolf most." Jacob grinned. I heard him move into the room and heard the bed springs creak. "But the Quileutes have always relied on the aid of the supernatural. Kids would go on spirit quests and stuff to discover their taxilit."

"Taxilit?"

"A sort of guardian power thing."

"Like a spirit animal?"

Jacob gave a barking laugh. "Yeah kinda."

"So that's where the Taha Aki story comes from? His spirit animal was the wolf and so his...taxilit kinda became his being?" I sat beside the suitcase; this was becoming easier.

Jacob shrugged. "Makes sense."

"Can you tell me another story about this wolves thing?"

Jacob hesitated. "Dad's better at it than I am."

"If your dad is anything like my dad, he's told the stories enough that you have them committed to memory."

Jacob grinned. "Tell me more about your family." It wasn't a command, more like a prompt. But I stopped nonetheless.

"Uh-uh, no sir!" I wagged my finger in his face. "Don't you try to turn this conversation over to me. I'm interviewing you." Jacob pouted. The puppy dog resemblance was uncanny. I giggled. Then yawned. I was exhausted from driving all day.

"I'll let you sleep. We can continue this 'interview' tomorrow. Dad's taken quite a shine to you. He'll probably tell you stories anytime you want for as long as you like. He loves that type of thing," Jacob said, backing up into the open doorway.

"Ok, thanks again, Jacob. For everything."

He stood awkwardly in the doorway for a few seconds. He looked like he wanted to do or say something else. I waited for something to happen, but Jacob grinned once more and closed the door behind him.

I sighed. I chucked the rest of my stuff back into my bag; there was no point in packing since I wasn't going to be here long. I turned on my computer and plugged in my camera to upload the pictures. I frowned, remembering that I had wanted to get a picture of Billy and Jacob. I debated going into Jacob's room and getting said picture and maybe continuing our conversation. But I held back. There would be time tomorrow.

I grinned as I checked my email. Tomorrow. That sounded good.

...

A/N: So there you have it, the complete first chapter as I intended it. I DO write massively long chapters I know. Even when I break them up, I average around 2,500 words per chapter. It's fun.

Currently the next chapter (which is all Jacob eeeeeee!!!) is incredibly short but I'm working on fleshing it out. Reviews would help. please please PLEASE!! I'm new to Twilight and every bit of praise/constructive criticism helps! EVEN IF YOU ARE ANONYMOUS OR A GUEST YOU CAN LEAVE ME A REVIEW SAYING WHAT YOU THINK!! ALL ARE WELCOME AND WANTED TO LEAVE A REVIEW!


	3. Ruminations

A/N: hello all of y'all who have decided to continue on with this little drabble side project of mine! Hope everyone had an excellent weekend. I totally meant to get this up over the weekend, but I signed up to work on this student film and literally we pulled 18+ hour days Thursday-Sunday. I barely had enough time to do PART of my homework. But it's so fun, the guys are so chill, the set up is soooooo sick and surreal, and I'm making mad connections so it's all worth it, yeah? Oh, and plus one of my original scripts might be going into production; i'm pitching it tonight. Fingers crossed!

Long story short, I'm not going to have as much time to work on this as I originally thought. I had been hoping for weekly updates, but next weekend's looking a little hazy due to coursework and this film. BUT I'm still super dedicated to working on this fic. I'll do what I can cause I love you guys.

So...enjoy this badly edited installation to 'Travel to Fate'. Fully Jacob POV, fluffy reaction to the imprint, and goofy little prank nugget. I'll probably come back in later and edit this around...if i find time.

Disclaimer: Dude, like I have time to write Twilight. I got my own shit to worry about. Hence, I own NADA (sad but true).

...

Chapter 3: Ruminations

I laid on my bed, staring up at the ceiling, still completely incredulous over what had happened in the last few hours.

I had imprinted.

Or at least I was rather confident that I had. That tunnel vision, that overwhelming sense of calm partnered with the gnawing desire for her, to be with her in all possible ways. The feeling that suddenly she was the only one in the world that mattered. That as long as she was alive and in my sight, everything in the world was right.

Then that ass had to touch her.

I growled slightly at the mere remembrance of him touching her. How dare he. How dare anyone show that kind of familiarity with her. The emotion that had swept over me was terrifyingly severe. It had taken every ounce of my will not to shift there on the spot and tear that..._Joe_ limb from limb. Thankfully, Billy had noticed and turned the conversation quickly.

Billy. He was one of the reasons I was up here. Not the main reason. _She_ was the main reason. My hand drifted over the wall beside me; just on the other side, in my sister's bed, she was sleeping soundly. I smiled, fighting the urge to creep in and make sure she was still there. Again, Billy had made sure she stayed nearby. He knew what I was going through. He knew I imprinted. The knowing looks. The pointed stares. The incredibly familiarity he extended to her. He knew I needed to be near her so here she would stay.

That idiot Joe can sleep in the Bus for all I cared.

I chuckled. I rolled toward the wall, placing a warm hand on the wall, pretending I could see her. Feel her.

I loved that our first encounter was over a car. _If you could count that hunk of scrap metal a car_. I chuckled again, keeping my voice low so as not to disturb her. She loved that thing, so I had pledged to get to work on it first thing. I tried to shy away from a deadline; if I had my way, I would keep tinkering on that antique for years, purposefully breaking things so that she had to come back.

She was gorgeous. Not modelesque. She was healthy, slightly curvy, a sort of girl-next-door type of attractive. The kind that came naturally, that she didn't have to work for. Dark brown beachy waves that tumbled carelessly from a haphazard ponytail, strands shining red in the dying sunlight. Large blue-grey eyes that glinted from passion, knowledge, and laughter. An easy, one dimpled smile. Pale skin. She looked so much like Bella and yet so different.

My stomach twinged at the thought of Bella. She would always be dear to me. My first imprint. But this new girl was nudging her out slowly. The one who unabashedly tried to bump me out of the way with her hip. The one who oddly looked perfectly at home with her head hanging out of that crappy Volkswagen Bus. The one who talked to said crappy VW bus and loved it openly. The one who I felt the uncontrollable need to be within inches of at all times.

"Kathleen." The name sounded right. Hopefully, I'd get to say it a few more times. Hopefully, I'd get to hear her call my name with the same passion I felt over hers.

…

Hours passed. The sun passed below the skyline but I could not pass into unconsciousness. I grumbled, flipping onto my back. If only it was my night to patrol. A run might do me well, but it was Jared and Collin tonight. Still, no one said I wasn't allowed to go out.

I got up and left my bedroom, not bothering to put a shirt on over my practically indestructible track pants or pull on shoes; I was just going to phase anyway and I had ruined enough clothes as it was. As I passed the twins' old room, I paused. I didn't want to leave her. Not when I had finally found her. I debated going inside and perhaps striking up another conversation, but our conversations kept going down the uncomfortable path of werewolves. Try as I might to veer the subject away, she would always find a way to bring it back to those damned legends Dad had spent all of dinner talking about. Guess it was the writers' ambition for a story. But I had a feeling Sam wouldn't be so fond of her poking around too deep. He definitely won't be happy that I had imprinted on a writer who was trying to publish works about our tribe.

I managed to pull myself away from her door and padded quietly down the stairs. I scowled as I passed the couch, suppressing the urge to prank Joe who was snoring obnoxiously on the couch. It was too easy of a target. Besides he couldn't be too much of a threat if he caught me. It wasn't a fair match. He was a skinny little runt; I could take him any day. Especially after shifting.

I felt a grin stretch over my face. I would scare him shitless as a wolf.

Aw hell.

I found an old newspaper and ripped a strip of it off. Crouching behind the back of the couch, I began to tickle Joe's nose with the paper. He snorted and convulsed, causing me to hold back a chortle. I ducked down a bit, waiting for him to calm back down. The living room once again filled with snores. I peeked back up, grinning at my own mischievousness. Why was this so insanely fun? I brushed the paper over his cheek slowly, trying to suppress my shaking shoulders.

Suddenly, an almighty snort erupted from him and his right hand came flying up. The smack resounded in the small room, coupled with the nearly unintelligible curse word. It was too much. I flew behind the back of the couch, forced to hold my nose to keep from laughing.

"…the hell?" I could hear his shifting around in the sofa, trying to figure out why he had woken up this time. "Damn bug-infested reservation…" I heard him mumble as he settled back down. There were a series of muffled punches, probably to a cushion or pillow, then a sigh. "Don't even have fucking spare bed…Kathleen gets the goddamn spare bed and I get shafted. Who did all the work….zzzzzz…"

I snickered aloud. I armed myself with the paper and leaned back over the couch, ready for another attack.

My ears pricked. In the other room, I could hear my father quietly clear his throat.

Shit.

I kicked the paper under the couch and trudged into his bedroom. Sure enough, Billy's eyes were staring at me in the dark, the moonlight illuminating the creases around his relaxed face. He smiled as I entered.

"Will you close the door, son?"

I did so.

"So…Kathleen."

I was silent.

"I'm so proud of you Jacob." His face split into a genuine grin. I relaxed slightly. "You finally imprinted."

I bit my tongue to keep from reminding him of Bella. He had once liked her. Then she fell in with the Cullens. It was still a bitter subject considering he was good friends with Charlie Swann.

"I guess I did." I rubbed my neck self-consciously.

"I like her. Even though she is outside the tribe." He paused. "When are you going to tell the pack?"

I opened and closed my mouth wordlessly. I still had no idea when I was going to tell Sam. I was the only one to imprint outside the tribe once, let alone twice. But now that I had seen Kathleen, I wondered whether Bella was simply a very strong crush coupled with my worry about her consorting with that parasite.

"I was going to go out for a run."

Billy understood that I wasn't evading. "Who's patrolling?"

"Jared and Collin."

"Hmm…"

"Maybe I'll wait for Quil and Embry tomorrow. They can meet her."

"That'd be smart."

I nodded quietly. Though my name had pull, it wouldn't hurt to have Embry and Quil help me convince Sam that Kathleen and her writings wouldn't directly harm our secret.

I turned to leave.

"And Jacob?"

I turned back.

"Try not to tease Joe too much. He's not that bad of a guy."

I grinned and left the room, trekking back up the stairs to my room. I made no promises.

…

It was the dead of night and still I couldn't sleep. I would drift off, close to unconsciousness, turn to the wall, then remember that Kathleen was right there. Then I would get that uncontrollable feeling that I needed to see her again.

I stood up. I padded silently, slowly, to my sisters' old room. Her room now. I grinned at the thought of her staying. It was a ridiculous thought, a wild thought, a hope. But as I eased the door open, I knew that this was one hope I would be making a reality. I was not going to let this one get away like I did the first.

I looked at Rebecca's old bed, where I had 'strategically' placed her to sleep.

She wasn't there.

My heart lurched in horror. I cast my eyes around nervously, then noticed her slumped over form on the desk. I approached her cautiously, thinking the worst. I poked her shoulder gently. A gentle moan erupted and she shifted slowly. I exhaled slowly. She was just asleep.

I picked her up gently. She was bigger, taller than Bella. She could take care of herself. Load off my mind, I thought bitterly as I set her down in Rebecca's bed. She sighed in her sleep and rolled away from me, a hand landing gently on the wall. I brushed her hair back from her forehead. It felt cold. I resisted the urge to crawl in beside her and warm her myself. These flimsy blankets weren't enough for her. I pulled up all the blankets on Rebecca's bed over her, tucking her in securely. I contemplated, then yanked the top heavy blanket off Rachel's bed and covered Kathleen in it as well. I smiled at my handiwork. It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough for tonight.

I leaned down and kissed her forehead slowly. Then I caught myself. I needed to slow down. She wasn't used to our tribe, but even less used to the whole shapeshifter, werewolf, imprinting thing. And as the last imprinting conversation hadn't turned out as planned, I hoped that Kathleen would fall for me before the shapeshifter, werewolf, imprinting thing came up in conversation. And if Billy had anything to do with it, Kathleen would know all the tribe secrets tomorrow.

I muffled my laughter as I backed slowly out. Morning couldn't come fast enough.

...

A/N: yaaaaaay fluff.

To those who reviewed: I know I PM'd you all (i try to do so to personally thank you. It's courtesy) but I just want to thank you again for the well wishes and the tips. This is dedicated to you 5, especially kyo's-kitten256, who told me I could make Jacob a lot more cheeky, which I will DEFINITELY do in following chapters.

So I got 5 for the first 2 chapters. Think maybe I could get 6 reviews this time? Might get me to write more...and update faster...


	4. Trio

A/N: ok, this time I'm posting before the weekend. go me.

next chapter is another Jacob POV. I'm going to try to keep going between the two cause I like writing both characters. Maybe if you all are terrific and leave me reviews, I'll insert a bonus Joe POV chappie. That could be WAY fun to write.

Disclaimer: Not mine

...

Chapter 4: Trio

My eyelids fluttered open. Greenish sunlight poured in. I blinked in the brightness then frowned. Where was I?

I was facing a wall. A blank wall free from tacky wallpaper. Therefore, I was most likely not in a motel. I was lying in a legit bed. Therefore, I was not in my dorm nor was I camped out in the Bus. The room was stuffy and quiet. Therefore, I was alone.

I rolled over onto my back. I heard the tide coming in. The realizations washed over me as steadily as the approaching ocean. I was in Washington, in La Push, on the Quileute reservation, in Jacob Black's house. I yawned and stretched slowly. There was a massive weight on my legs. I looked down to see a veritable stack of heavy blankets over me. I glanced on the floor; apparently I had kicked a few off in the middle of the night. I managed to unearth my feet. I was still wearing the same clothes from last night.

I must have been tired, I thought. Come to think of it, as I was pulling on an old David Bowie concert shirt and a fresh pair of jeans, I didn't remember getting in bed last night. I glanced at my computer and thanked whatever deity was on duty that I had plugged it in before uploading my pictures. I saved everything and turned off both the camera and the laptop. I glanced out the window; it was overcast as normal. I tugged on my old college hoodie, slipped my feet into a pair of sandals, and ran a quick brush through my knotted hair. I tossed it back into its ponytail, swearing to ask Billy if I could borrow the shower later this morning.

I opened the bedroom door and peeked out. I didn't really want to catch Jacob in between shower and bedroom. The coast was clear. I trudged down the stairs and landed in the front room.

"Morning," Joe's familiar voice chimed from the table.

"Mo-Morning," I said through a yawn.

"You look better," he offered.

"You still look like crap," I joked. "And so do I. I need a shower."

"Yeah you do."

I chucked a piece of cereal at him then checked myself as Billy rolled into the room.

"Good morning, Kathleen. Coffee's in the kitchen if you want it. Otherwise, help yourself to anything. The boys always do."

"Boys?" I asked, walking into the kitchen.

"Jacob's friends. They're in and out of here. You'll probably see them later."

I smiled to myself. Maybe they would be less cryptic than the Black family. I poured myself some coffee, dressed it with milk and sugar, and went back to the table.

"Where is Jacob anyway?"

A loud rumble interrupted Billy's response. He closed his mouth and smiled, nodding outside. "He got up early this morning and started work. He's been out there ever since."

"He doesn't waste time. Joe and I are going to be out here for a bit anyway doing interviews and such."

"Speaking of, do you think you could give us some pointers on who else to hit up for more stories?" Joe addressed Billy.

"I don't know how many will be very open to sharing our stories. A lot of Quileutes are really cautious around newcomers. Especially newcomers carrying cameras and recorders," Billy winked.

"You don't mind though, do you Billy?" I asked, taking another swig of coffee. I could feel myself slowly waking up.

"Course not. And I think that if Jacob accompanies you, a few of them might be a bit more willing to talk."

"Why's that?" Joe mumbled through a mouthful of Lucky Charms.

"Cause he's the great-grandson of Ephraim Black, our tribe's last chief. And he's quite fond of your friend here." I blushed and looked down at my uneaten Cheerios.

"You go talk to Jacob, Kat. I don't think he likes me much," Joe commented. "Billy, do you mind if I borrow your shower?"

"Help yourself," Billy said. "Our house is yours."

Joe took his dishes into the kitchen and soon disappeared upstairs. I ate my Cheerios in silence. I could feel Billy's eyes on me. It was slightly uncomfortable. I grabbed my cereal and stood.

"I'm going to go check on my baby. Make sure Jacob isn't trying to murder her to put her out of her misery," I joked as I moved toward the door. Billy nodded and felt him watch me go. Once on the porch, I shivered. That old man was giving me the creeps.

A loud rumbling came from an old shed a few yards away. I looked up at the sky; it was cloudy but still dry. I walked through the drying mud over to the shed. Sure enough, there was my gigantic Bus parked inside and taking up the majority of the building. Two bare feet stuck out from underneath. I smiled and walked over.

"Hey, Kathleen," his now familiar husky voice called from under the Bus.

I stopped in my tracks. I bent over to look underneath. His russet face was stained with streaks of oil as he carefully tilted his head toward me. He gave a goofy grin and continued tinkering around with a silvery wrench looking thing.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"You make too much noise coming in. Maybe you should start taking notes from me," he laughed. "Plus, the shoes were a dead give away."

I glanced down at my flip-flops with my chipped nail polish. "Guess not many of your guy friends wear nail polish, eh?"

"Not really, no. And most of them don't wear shoes either." He rolled out from underneath. I dodged the wheels, slopping milk from my cereal onto the floor. "Sorry," he apologized, his eyes looking gently down at me. He grabbed a spare rag and wiped his face and hands clean. Then he tossed it on the ground and, using his foot, mopped up my klutzy spill. "So you checking on the love of your life?"

"Yeah." I smiled and stroked the side view mirror lovingly.

"What about your van?"

"What do you mean - " I started then checked myself as the words sunk in. I looked up to see him grinning cheekily at me. I rolled my eyes, yanked the driver's door open, and jumped into the seat. "How's she doing?" I smiled, taking a bite of cereal.

"Better. Just flushed the engine and changed the oil and transmission fluid." He leaned on the open window frame, causing the door to sway back and forth under his weight.

I looked at him blankly. "You do know you could have said anything and I would buy it. Cars are completely foreign to me."

"Well, this Bus is a piece of work." He straightened and closed the door in front of me. He wandered over to the open hood and sighed. "Dunno how long this is going to take now. Couple of your parts are really worn down."

"How bad?" I propped myself up on my knees and elbows and stretched out the window to look at him. He looked scarily natural bent over the Bus. He peeked over at me.

"You could really use a new battery. And there's a few belts that are looking really worn." He sighed loudly. "It's going to be a week easy."

I screwed up my face. "How much?"

"Oh, no this is free."

My eyes widened. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Jacob, you are not fixing this old crooner for free!"

Suddenly, Jacob was right in front of me. I jumped back a little. He bent down to my eye level. "Yes. I am," he whispered in my face.

My heart quickened. I felt his intense eyes graze over my face then bore into my blue eyes. They searched my eyes impatiently. I heard a huff, the sound my dogs back home made after searching in vain. I heard him inhale deeply, almost as if he was sniffing the air. He grinned and straightened.

"Hey Embry, Quil," he shouted toward the door. A few seconds later, two men came running into the garage.

"Whoa, monster!" The stockier one exclaimed, jumping back dramatically and holding up his fingers in a cross.

I couldn't stop myself. "Hey!" I slumped down in the seat and finished off my breakfast.

"It speaks!" the stocky one laughed, a similar, barking laugh as Jacob's. I heard a dull thump and an "Ow, Jesus Jacob, not the wrench." I peeked my head out nervously.

Jacob and the newcomers were huddled around the hood of the Bus. They looked scarily similar, all falling around 6 1/2 feet, barely dressed in worn clothing, and muscular. All had the same red-brown skin color and black hair cropped to varying lengths. Apparently, I was making too much noise again as all three looked up at me. The one who had been talking smiled kindly and walked over to the window.

"Hey, I'm Quil." He offered a hand, which I shook firmly. His hand was as warm and large as Jacob's. "That's Embry," Quil pointed to the other boy-man beside Jacob. Embry offered a smile and walked up, shaking my hand as well. Another unnaturally hot, large hand. What was wrong with the water here?

"I'm Kathleen and this is my Bus that you are so thoroughly insulting," I said, giving a sarcastic smile.

"In my defense, it's kinda been years since they're allowed these beasts on the road," Quil said, leaning on the doorframe. He was charming with an easy wide smile. It was infectious. "Hell, I haven't even seen one of these in years."

"It was my parents' from the '60s. Found it in my grandparents' garage and they're lending it to Joe and me for this trip around the peninsula. Speaking of!" I had just gotten an idea. I launched myself to the back of the Bus and began shuffling through the crap still in the back. I crawled back up clumsily, holding up a camera in success. I elbowed my way up and through the open window of the door and framed the three identically huge boys. "Do you mind?"

Quil grinned and yanked Embry to him in a one-armed elbow bear tug. Embry's head slammed into Quil's and both groaned. Jacob tossed his head back and gave a great barking laugh. I smiled and let the camera flash as I captured the moment.

"Hey, we weren't ready!" Quil howled, still holding the spot on his head. "You didn't get my good side!"

"You have a good side?" Embry muttered darkly. Quil shoved Embry roughly and the two fell into mild fisticuffs. Jacob was still laughing as spit, hair, and a little blood went flying.

"Shouldn't we...break them up or something?" I asked, letting the camera drop down a bit and looking worriedly at the warring man-teens. Jacob didn't even get a chance to answer; Embry kicked Quil off of him with a grunt. Quil veritably flew into the side of the van, leaving a sizable dent.

"You fucking bastard!" I howled. In a second, I was out of the car and crouching at the dent. "My poor baby."

"Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking," Quil said at my side. I ignored him as I traced the massive hole, feeling mild tears well up. Oh I was so weak, crying over a car that wasn't even mine.

"Good going Quil," Embry said. I heard him shift behind me. A hand rested on my back and I heard his whistle beside me. "You did a number."

"You...launched me!" Quil sputtered. But below Quil's insistence that this wasn't his fault (which I was taking as a lame form of apology), I dully heard growls.

"Jake?" I heard Embry say next to my ear. I looked from the dent to Embry. His dark eyes look confusedly over my back to where Jake was standing. Something flashed over Embry's face; his mouth rounded into comprehension and surprise. His hand flew from my back. I turned to Jacob. He was shaking ever so slightly, his fists clenching and unclenching slowly. His eyes were on Embry, dark with ebbing fury. The entire countenance terrified me.

"We should get going. School," I heard Quil say. Suddenly, tunnel vision cleared and I stood up, aided lightly by Embry, who was watching Jacob cautiously. "You're not in high school, are you Kathleen?"

"I'm 22 Quil. I'd certainly hope not," I joked hollowly. My eyes and thoughts were back on the car.

"I'll try to fix it later," Jacob said softly. I looked him in the eyes; they were softening exponentially but that steely fire from seconds before was still there in trace amounts. "You really aren't helping my workload, Quil."

"Not...my...fault," Quil seethed.

"Hey, uh…" Joe made an appearance behind the guys. He stopped midsentence, obviously distracted by the two new large people in the garage. The height difference between him and the Quileute boys was immediately dramatic. Joe seemed to have noticed this; he rubbed his neck and straightened slightly.

"What's up Joe?" I asked, trying to come to his rescue. Joe smiled at me.

"We need to get to work. Billy gave us a few names and places we can go look at. And he said that you three," here Joe glanced at Jacob, Quil, and Embry, who had huddled up behind me, "have less than 10 minutes before school starts."

"Aw shit!" Quil cursed. He looked down and grinned. "At least I remembered my shirt."

I turned to look at Jacob, who was looking at his own shirtless, shoeless figure. He looked up at me, grinning as he caught my eyes. His hand drifted over to a pile of cloth on a nearby shelf. Removing one, he sniffed it and shook it out; it was a red t-shirt. He put it on quickly and rubbed his arm over his face, trying to clear the rest of the grease from it.

"Will you hurry?" Quil grumbled, peeking his head around the corner. Jacob turned to him and grinned again. He kicked on a spare pair of shoes in the corner then looked back at me.

"Stay on the Res?" he asked.

I frowned. "Probably. It's not like we really have the means to go that far right now."

Jacob gave a quick barking laugh then ran after Quil. Embry, who had been watching the entire exchange, looked at me strangely. When he saw me frowning, he smiled reassuringly.

"Jacob's not usually this weird. You'll get used to it," said Embry.

I smiled. "Why does he want me to stay here?"

Something crossed Embry's eyes fleetingly. "For your safety. There've been some reports of bears in the woods around here."

"Then shouldn't I be away from the bears?" I pointed out like this was the most obvious thing in the world. Embry smiled, his grin not near as easy and free as Jacob's.

"Well, it's either the bears in La Push or the murders in the surrounding area. At least here, we know what's causing the killings and we know how to prevent it."

And with that, Embry took off running after Jacob and Quil. I stepped out to watch the three retreating, hulking figures. Whatever was in the water or the air not only affected the boys' physical appearance, but apparently their mental capabilities. How could I not be safe on the reservation?

...

A/N: Please review. I have a very long weekend to get through and reviews will make things easier. To my 3 reviewers this week, thanks again. You guys keep me going.


	5. Snag in the Snog

Thanks to my two reviewers. I dedicate this chappie to Kazama-chan, who read and reviewed on every chapter from the beginning. THANK YOU! the rest of you could do well to follow her example ;)

Disclaimer: Twilight's not mine.

...

Chapter 5: Snag in the Snog

"It's always older isn't it?"

"Shut up."

Damn Embry. Damn him to hell. Him and his stupid perception. Damn, damn, damn.

We weren't two feet from my house, the shed, and Kathleen before Embry fell into the interrogation.

"You imprinted, didn't you?" Embry's quiet voice stated more than asked. He looked down at the ground as we jogged to school. Time was not on our side and we really didn't have time for he and Quil to be asking about my lovelife or lack thereof.

Embry and Quil thought otherwise.

"YOU IMPRINTED?!"

"Yes, Quil. Let's tell the world."

"ON KATHLEEN?!"

"No, on the VW monster Bus," I bit. I really didn't want to have this out now.

"....That's impossible."

"You're a quick one, aren't you?"

"Man, love makes you bitter!"

I grumbled and jogged a little faster, trying to distance myself from the confrontation. The familiar totem pole announced my arrival to Quileute Tribal School, one of the current banes of my existence. I could have gone to Quillayute in Forks, but as Bella was gone, Forks had no appeal for me. Not to mention the pack thing. Sam liked to keep us all on leashes.

In my reverie, Embry had caught up with me. He clapped me on the back. I flinched. Glancing back, I saw Quil trudging slowly behind; Embry must have told him to lag back.

"Sorry about him. We all know Quil isn't the most tactful of the pack," Embry smiled slightly. I returned the gesture. "Personally, I think it's great. We've been really worried about you since...."

I winced. Everything got awkward when the topic of…_her_ entered conversation. But it was beginning not to bother me as much. "Bella?" I prompted.

"Yeah. Since..._she_ left."

Awkward silence.

"Sorry about...." Embry trailed. "I obviously didn't know you had imprinted."

I grinned. "Still haven't controlled the protectiveness yet. I'm still new at this whole imprinting thing, y'know?"

"You've had more practice than me," I heard Embry mutter as Quil caught up. I winced again. I had forgotten that Embry was the only older member in the pack to not imprint yet.

"So you raped her yet?" Quil said before I could speak to Embry.

"Quil, do you actually think before you speak or do you just blurt random shit?" Embry asked. He was looking up again, exasperation clear.

"Depends. Some comments are too good to let go." He grinned widely.

"I would have preferred you let that one go personally."

"No way, Jake. You and Kathleen are doomed to be the butt of many of my retarded comments for a while. Mainly because I'm happy for you. But also because I think Kathleen might end up being a good opponent for verbal sparring."

I laughed, remembering a few of the quips she had thrown out before. Bad idea. I felt a twinge, worrying slightly about her welfare during the eight hours of hell society called high school. But it was inevitable; the bell rang, spurring us to sprint for the doorway.

I promised myself I would run home during lunch to make sure she was OK.

…

Classes were painfully slow. Usually, they trudged by, but today the clock took eternity to click from second to second, minute to minute. I couldn't hold still. My huffs and grumbles were not unnoticed by the teachers and students. Quil and Embry were sniggering to themselves in their private secret. No doubt they would have fun revealing everything to the rest of the pack. I didn't care. I didn't care that Quil would rag me to death behind my back or Embry would describe everything that had went down in the shed in scary detail. I didn't worry about what the rest of the pack would say about me imprinting on a girl outside the tribe 3 years older than me, a girl who would be snooping around the Res for a book or whatever.

I just wanted to see her.

When the bell rang for lunch, I bolted out of class. I bypassed the lunch room, dodging against the slow flow of hungry teens. Someone caught my elbow. I growled and nearly threw them off when I realized it was Paul.

"Dude, food's the other way," he said, looking completely baffled. He had every reason to; since when had I run away from food? But there were other matters on my mind.

"Ask Embry. He'll explain. I got to go," I rushed before freeing myself and entering once more into the traffic pattern. Reaching the front doors, I broke into a run.

I was nearly at my house when I forced myself to stop. The scent pattern had changed. I froze and sniffed hard. Absent was the autumn sweet scent I was looking for, the smell of cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin that defined _her_. My heart started pounding. I circled the house quickly but I knew she wasn't in there. I reached the back of the house then froze. _Please God let her not be in there_.

"Hey man," I heard a voice behind me. I whirled around to see Joe, sandwich in hand. "Aren't you supposed to be at school or something?"

"What's it to you?" I snapped.

"I thought that's what Kat said. Sorry." Joe frowned. I perked at the name.

"Where is she?"

Joe looked off, presumably to remember something. I drummed my fingers on my arm, waiting. "Think she said something about going to write," he finally said.

I bit my tongue to keep from ripping off his head in frustration. "Do you know where she went?"

Joe thought again. How Kathleen tolerated this guy was beyond me. "I think the beach. Or she might have said something about hiking. Or climbing. She has a thing for bouldering and rock climbing."

My heart started up double time. All I could visualize was Kathleen falling to her death from one of the cliffs. I took off running toward the beach, not bothering to say anything more to Joe. Her smell was getting stronger. I began to calm slightly though my pace did not slow.

I stopped dead, slightly winded, and looked around. I didn't see her immediately. Then I heard my father's voice from behind a gathering of rocks. I frowned; he usually didn't come out here at this time. Then he stopped mid-sentence. Long pause. Then he repeated himself.

I wandered towards the sound, padding cautiously and quietly. There was Kathleen, leaned against one of the rocks, earbud in one ear, recorder near the other, notebook in lap, pencil poised over. She bit the inside of her lip as she looked blankly down at the sand, obviously listening close to Billy's words. Her pencil scribbled quickly.

I breathed a sigh of relief. She was safe. Unfortunately, she heard me and jumped visibly.

"Dammit, Jacob! Stop being so blasted quiet!" she hissed. I chuckled and leaned on one of the rocks.

"What are you doing out here?" I struggled to keep the stressed edge blunted.

"Writing. I couldn't stay cooped up in your house any longer. Not when it was semi sunny out." She tilted her head up to the sky, closing her eyes and smiling. I couldn't help but soften; she looked so peaceful.

"What about you?" Kathleen opened her eyes and looked back at her work. "Aren't you supposed to be in classes?"

"Nope. Lunch."

"You're not eating? Shocker!"

I chuckled. "I'll eat later. I was worried about you."

"You were worried about me?" She sounded shocked. "Seriously? It's La Push. What's going to happen, I'm going to be maimed by a tree?"

"You've heard about the killings and such around here!" I couldn't help but yell. Why didn't she get it? This feeling of calm and peace was just a facade with all the leeches wandering about.

"I survived Seattle. There were killings there. I can take care of myself."

I stifled a grumble. Sure she might be stronger than Bella. Hell, anyone was more immune to danger than Bella. But I was still apprehensive about her security.

"Still," I leaped over the rock separating me from her, "someone's gotta protect you from all the big bad baddies around here."

"What, like you?"

I slung an arm around her shoulder. "Yes, like me. I'll have you know I'm quite adept at protection."

"Well, if you're the good guy, who's the baddie?" I caught her looking out the corner of her eye at me, though she didn't try to shrug off my arm. Matter of fact, she shivered slightly as a light wind blew over the ocean. I surreptitiously tightened my arm around her. When she didn't move, I grinned and leaned in closer.

"They're all baddies," I whispered in her ear. She twitched away slightly. I backed off but kept my arm around her.

"I highly doubt that." She turned those bright blue eyes toward me. With one look, I felt my throat dry slightly. Damn this affect she had on me!

"Do you now?" I said, hearing my voice drop in decibel level. I saw her bite her bottom lip, her eyes drift from mine momentarily then back up. She swallowed. I smiled.

"I – I do," she finally said. She stood quickly and started pacing as if to get away. "I mean, how can everyone be bad except for you?" She paused and turned. "Rather conceited if you ask me." She gave a semi mischievous grin.

I chuckled. "Ok, maybe not everyone in the world is bad. Quil's good. Embry's good." I got up and followed behind her. "But I am still the best of the good guys."

She raised an eyebrow as she looked up at me. "Still rather pretentious aren't we, Mr. Black?"

I lightly placed a hand on her hip. "Ms. Harken," I said, my voice going husky again. "That's the problem with being better than everyone else." I saw her bite the corner of her mouth and look away, laughing quietly. I didn't want her to look away. With my other hand, I raised her head back to me so I could look back in her eyes. She was hesitant, but she met my gaze. My hand grazed from her chin, across her jawbone, and finally cradled her neck. My thumb played with her earlobe slightly as I continued looking deep into her eyes, searching for some sign that she did not enjoy this.

I saw none.

I stepped in slowly, my focus now on her lips. I heard her inhale shakily as I leaned in. I felt her head tilt against my hand, preparing herself. A quick glance to verify that this was ok. Her eyes were closed, her lips slightly open. One of her hands slid up my chest. I smiled. Finally. An imprint that wanted me.

"Jacob?"

I was centimeters away. Suppressing a groan, I let the hand on my chest push me away from her. Her eyes were open and full of doubt. "I…I can't."

Damn it.

I dropped both hands from her and turned. Hurt and rage came flooding forth. Dully, I heard her voice, her stupid, soothing voice, continue speaking.

"It's just that…" She sighed heavily. "I mean, I…kinda want too, but…"

"Then do!" I burst.

"I just met you!"

"So?"

"And…well…Jacob, you're 18. And I'm 22…"

Another wave of anger. It was becoming too much. I began to clench and unclench my fists, breathing deeply through my nose, trying in vain to calm down. How many times had I heard this argument? And what was worse that the last time it had happened, it was coming from another imprint.

I felt a hand on my back. I whipped around. She looked worried and sad. "Jacob?" she whispered. "I'm sorry."

I suppressed a growl with a quick grimace as the urge to shift came on in new force. She must have seen the change in countenance; something like fear flashed over her face. Her hand dropped quickly and she took a step back.

"Are…are you ok?" she ventured.

"Not…really," I managed to hiss through my teeth. I was not going to shift in front of her. It would be too much; if she couldn't handle a kiss from me, who could she ever handle me turning into a massive wolf? I glanced over her shoulder; the tree line was someone far off. I didn't know if I could make it.

"Can I do anything?" I heard her speak again. Another wave washed over me. I cringed. I had to get away. I brushed past her roughly, yanking off my shirt as I tore toward the forest. I could feel her eyes on my back as I crashed into the forest, my body shaking and extending and contorting as I went.

If she didn't want to be with me before…now that I'd run off from her…she would definitely not want me now.

...

A/N: Happy post-Valentine's Day to you all! Hope y'all had a great one. Me personally, I'm continuing my amazing 19 year long streak of no Valentine. Instead, I had a hot date with my Psychology book. Yes, I do party hard.

And I do think I will insert a Joe chappie in here somewhere. I just don't really know where yet. He's just too fun and we haven't heard enough of his take on this whole thing yet!


	6. Red Eye

A/N: Well I did it. I said May, and here it is. It took an allnighter, but here it is! An update. A thousand apologies yet again for the long hiatus, but I'm out for the summer, ready to jump back into my stories. And to beg for your forgiveness I give you another super chapter, divided into two and posted simultaneously. Also good is that I have the plot more or less ironed out for this story. Ok, enough talking on my part. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

...

Chapter 6: Red Eye

I watched Jacob scamper toward the forest, feeling my stomach drop as he went. I had never felt so unbelievably bad in my life. Not only had I apparently severely insulted and driven away my only ally in La Push, but a part of me had wanted that kiss. But yet again, I thought too much.

A sudden howl echoed over the treetops. The sound made me tremble involuntarily. I had to get out of here. Whatever made that noise was not something I wanted to be in close proximity to. Ever. I struggled to pack up my things quickly; my hands were shaking madly from both the chill off the water and anxiety, making the whole thing last longer than necessary. Finally, I slung my bag onto my shoulder and turned away from the water. I paused as my eyes hit the forest.

Jacob.

Jacob was in there with the howling, growling creature.

For once in my life, I didn't think. I dropped my bag from my shoulder and bolted into the tree line. Sure, in a few minutes, when I was staring certain death in the face, I would realize my foolishness. Or, in the very slim circumstance that I would not die at the claw of some bloody fanged beast, I would realize that I am hopelessly directionally challenged and can't find my out of the neighborhood I've lived on my entire life much less this labyrinth of trees. As I leapt over a rotten stump, all I could think of was getting Jacob out of there.

Finally, I stopped. I clung to a thin trunked tree, my chest heaving as I tried to catch my breath and figure out my surroundings. My surroundings were green. That's all I could gather. Just I predicted, the utter foolhardiness of my rescue plan hit me full in the face as I summoned the strength to walk forward and further. How much easier would it have been to go back to the Black's house, gotten Joe or Billy, or hell, even a map. Moreover, Jacob probably knows this area like the back of his hand. For all I knew, this was a shortcut back to his school. Plus, he probably didn't expect me to stupidly run after him. He's probably already out of the forest and I'm stuck here until I'm found by an evil, blood-soaked, savage, fanged, clawed, hulking, massive, nasty…

Something crashed and rustled violently, causing me to shriek involuntarily. A low growl erupted, causing me to pause and sidestep behind the thickest tree trunk I could see. I peeked out and squinted into the never-ending green. Something ivory flashed among the kelly greens.

Jacob.

No, stupid, I corrected that irrational simper of an internal voice. Jacob isn't that pale.

"Oh Jesus Christ on a crutch, Kathleen, pull yourself together," I muttered to myself. I looked at my hands; I was trembling worse than ever. "Seriously. It's a forest. You've been in forests before. Now, let's go find Jacob and set everything right."

I shook my hands and drew a rattling breath.

"Ok…on three. One…two…three."

I stepped out from behind the tree.

And nearly had my head taken off by some heavy, hulking, fuzzy beast.

As I fell backward, I saw the animal clear my head, its light brown fur glinting slightly red and gold in the afternoon light. It landed and began stalking toward me, its face skewered into a bare tooth snarl, its oversized paws silent on the leaf-strewn ground.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shitting shit shit shit it!" I whined as I backed slowly up to the tree again. "Please don't kill me." I could feel the tears coming on. I never imagined my death as being torn to shreds by an adolescent wolf cub in the middle of a Native American reservation.

They say right before you die, your entire life flashes before your eyes. That never happened to me. I remember my last thought being, "Why the hell did I insist on being a journalist? I should have gone to medical school."

Out of nowhere, a man jumped between the savage wolf and I. He crouched low, growling along with the wolf's increased snarls. My heart leapt; Jacob.

But no. This wasn't Jacob. This newcomer wasn't tall or muscular enough. He seemed more like Embry than Jacob. But it couldn't be Embry. This man was pale. Too pale.

He turned to look at me. I gasped. His eyes were deep dark burgundy, very nearly black. As if my terror of nearly having my head ripped off by a rabid animal wasn't enough, the pure chill that those eyes gave me nearly made me lose consciousness. I skittered to my feet and tore away, praying to any deity that would listen that neither of the pair would follow me.

A great clamor broke out behind me. Snarls, growls, and yelps seemed to engulf me and I felt like I was drowning. I ran like hell to escape but it seemed like it was nipping at my heels, dragging me down. My face grew damp, but I couldn't tell if that was from tears or sweat. My legs jellified. They felt like they weren't a part of me, like they were just mechanically propelling my static body. I couldn't even tell if I was heading out of the forest or further in. All I knew is that I had to get away.

Finally, I broke through the tree line and found myself back on the beach. I had never been so happy to see sand in my life. I collapsed against a rock, trying to catch my breath. I coughed a little, a reaction to my dry throat. Slowly, my heart stopped trying to leap out of my chest. I stood shakily and dusted myself off. I chanced a glance back at the forest.

A wolf was standing at the very edge staring me down.

I screamed. Before it could think about attacking me, I took off. I was never going back into that forest.

…

"Well, Kat, wolves do live in forests…right?"

Joe was calmly looking at the computer screen, messing around on Photoshop. A few clicks later, he was on a website talking about wolves.

"Yeah. Wolves live wherever their food is: forests, deserts, mountains, tundra, taiga, grasslands, and even urban areas."

"Well that makes sense, since I WAS NEARLY WOLF FOOD, JOE!" I hissed.

"Ooh look, an article on wolf mythology. Seems the Quileute aren't the only ones who love the wolves."

"Joe, this wasn't a normal wolf. It was massive. Like, hulking."

"Ouch, the Chinese did not like wolves. In their proverbs, evil, manipulative people were 'wolf-hearted.'"

"Joe, you're not listening."

"I like that. You know who's kinda wolf-hearted? Jacob. Well, maybe not the evil part…though it's too early to pass judgment really…"

"Joe…"

"Dang, the Russians have 253 stories about wolves!"

I slammed the laptop shut in frustration.

"Hey! I didn't save my work!"

"Joe." I stared him in his reflective eyes. "I. Nearly. Died. Do you comprehend?"

"Kat, stop being so dramatic." He pushed my hand off the computer and opened it again. "It's La Push. The only thing that attacks here are mud puddles."

"Joe, you slipped. Get over yourself."

"I swear there was a hole there! And the mud..." he sputtered indignantly for a while then huffed. "The mud and the hole were in cahoots to kill me."

"Mm-hmm. Sure, sure." I patted his back.

"Oh, yeah. Jacob was looking for you an hour ago or so," Joe mentioned, already engrossed again in Photoshop. "I told him you were on the beach. Did he find you? He seemed really anxious."

I swallowed hard. "Er, yeah. He found me."

"Oh good."

And that was it. Silence blossomed between us. Usually, this is what I liked about Joe. No meaningless small talk. But right now, I needed some consoling.

"Joe…"

He sighed hard. "Kat, seriously. Shut up."

"I'm not making this up! I was seriously attacked!"

"I'm not saying you're making anything up," Joe rushed. "But…you do have a tendency to…" he trailed.

"To what?"

"Embellish."

I groaned. "Look, I know it sounds outrageous, but hear me out."

"Fine." A few clicks and Photoshop was closed. Joe carefully shut the laptop and looked straight at me. I sat on the bed and sighed.

"Jacob, he…we…" I bit the corner of my mouth. "He tried to kiss me."

"Not surprised."

I looked at him incredulously.

"Oh come on, Kathleen!" He exclaimed. "I know you aren't the most observant when it comes to love, but a blind man could see that the kid is completely infatuated with you. Honestly, I'm surprised it took him a day to get this far."

I narrowed my eyes at him. Sometimes his lack of a mental censor was annoying. He rarely had a thought he didn't voice and prided himself on his no-lying clause, his 'radical honesty'.

"Anyway, he tried to kiss me, and…I didn't let him. Don't!" I held up a finger to stop Joe from voicing his opinion. "Let me finish."

Joe closed his mouth.

"So we…argued, I guess you could call it. He didn't say much. He seemed really hurt and he ran off into the forest. And of course, I started feeling really guilty, because I, er…" I looked up at Joe, who was obviously bursting from keeping quiet. "Yeah. Anyway. I wanted to apologize for…things."

Joe squeaked or something, either from stifled laughter or a comment that tried to escape.

"And there was this great howl. You've heard the howls?"

Joe nodded, calming slightly.

"So I panicked for some reason and ran into the forest. I got really far in, then I heard this…rustle. And a…really evil growl. Like," I shuddered at the mere recollection of the sound. "So I hid behind a tree and I realized how unbelievably stupid I was for going into the forest and decided to turn back." I sighed and looked at Joe. "Joe, literally the second I stepped out from behind the tree, this gigantic wolf nearly takes my freaking head off."

"Kat…" Joe sighed.

"Joe, I'm not lying!" I practically cried. "This was not a regular wolf. It was like, I dunno…radioactive or something. Don't laugh! If it weren't for the obviously doggish snout, I would've sworn it was a bear. It was like 5 feet tall to the shoulder and shaggy and fuzzy and it just seized up and bared its teeth and started stalking toward me, snarling something fierce." I could feel my eyes welling up. I skewered them tight and inhaled sharply. I opened them and looked up, willing the tears to roll back into my head. When I finally managed to look back at Joe, there was almost genuine worry setting in.

"Then, right as the life flashback should have kicked in, right as I was staring death in the face – cause now I'm sure the grim reaper is this fang-toothed beast – this guy jumps between me and wolf, crouched and growling just as much as the wolf."

"Jacob?"

"Nooo," I shook my head. "No, this guy was definitely not part of the Res. He was white. And I don't mean you white or me white he was," I shuffled around on the desk and pulled out a sheet of printer paper, "this white."

Joe whistled.

"But he was dirty. Which admittedly might have made him look a little whiter, but still. His clothes were all ripped and torn and he was mad skinny. But not an unhealthy skinny."

"Not a me skinny?" Joe grinned. I couldn't help it; I cracked a grin and laughed.

"No, he looked like a human. Only…not. His hair was black or brown, I couldn't tell. Again, might have made him look paler than he really was, but still…" I hissed as I inhaled. "His eyes. Oh, Jesus, if there was ever an argument against his inhumanity."

"What? Were they just too gorgeous?" Joe did his best impression of a flaming gay man. I couldn't bring myself to laugh.

"There were red, Joe."

"Well, maybe he doesn't sleep. Or he's a pot head."

"No, Joe. They were red. The irises. They were burgundy. Nearly black."

For once, Joe was silent. About a minute passed. Finally, he managed to open his mouth again. "Well, did he say anything to you?"

I shook my head. "No. The second I saw his eyes, I booked it out there. And the second I left, there were all these yelps and growls and snarls."

"What happened?"

"Like I looked back!" I yelled. "I ran like hell until I got out of that damned forest. And when I did and I had caught my breath, I looked back. And," I swallowed hard, "the wolf was right at the edge, just staring at me. Like he was daring me to come on his territory again."

"Well, wolves are incredibly territorial animals." Joe turned back to the laptop and opened up the wolf page again. "It says here a pack's territory is about 200km 2 with the core being about 35 km 2. You probably got into that core area and he felt threatened."

"Yeah," I said, not really believing him.

"It does say that the victims of wolf attacks tend to be women and children," Joe read. "And that these wolf attacks are usually clustered in space and time. This isn't normal behavior for them, but rather something that the wolf or wolf pack learns and maintains until they are killed."

"Embry did mention bear attacks." I mused for a second. "These aren't normal sized wolves. They could easily be mistaken for bears. You know, if people didn't get a good look at the snout."

"And not many people get that close to a bear' mouth and live to talk about it," Joe commented, scrolling down the page. "Apparently wolf meat is tough and tastes like chicken." He looked out the window for a second. "Wonder if dogs taste like chicken then."

"Joe!"

"Well, there's a close genetic connection between the two!" he exclaimed. "Besides, it's not like I'm running after Pixie with a shotgun or anything."

I scoffed. "Like Pixie would be half satisfying. He's my baby terrier."

"Who thinks he's a bloody Great Dane. Should have named him Napoleon." Joe closed the webpage. "So who's this red-eyed guy?"

I shivered. "I have no idea, but he scared me. He shouldn't have. He probably saved my life. Maybe it was the wolf or something, but I didn't feel relieved at all when I saw him. The wolf staring at me at the edge of the forest was more soothing than anything I saw in the forest. Hell if I'm ever going back in there. I'm staying on the Res and focusing on this project so we can get the hell out of here."

"Amen," Joe breathed. "I know you're in love with the area, but these guys give me the creeps. Any people who have such a fetish for a species make me a little worried for their mental wellbeing."

I smacked him in the back of the head. "They have stories and a culture. Be nice."

Joe stuck his tongue out at me.

…


	7. Wolf

Disclaimer: Still not mine.

…

Chapter 7: Wolf

Dinnertime came around and, though it took a little insisting, I managed to commandeer the kitchen to cook a meal. Billy still rolled in from time to time, offering to help, but I managed to wave him out.

"Please, Mr. Black. I want to do this."

"Call me Billy, Kathleen."

"Fine. Billy. I say this with all the respect in the world I can muster and, mind you I have become quite fond of you so that is quite a lot of respect, but get out of the kitchen."

Billy chuckled. "Joe is talking my ear off. I'm trying to escape. Can't you have pity on an old man and let him chop some tomatoes or something?"

I grinned. "He really has no off button, does he?" Billy said nothing, but his eyes told me everything. "It grows on you. Either that, or you lose your mind and kick us out. Admittedly, it's a big risk to your sanity to let us stay here."

"Jacob's friends are in and out of here, causing all sorts of lunacy. What little sanity I have left is here to stay."

"Wait, so Ephraim was who now?" Joe's voice called from the dining room. Billy looked up at me with a mock pained expression and rolled out. I laughed under my breath and turned back to the gently simmering pot of tomato sauce. I peeled and chopped some garlic and added it, stirring gently. A song popped into my head and I hummed the main melody as I searched the cabinets for cinnamon.

I missed cooking. It was calming, just what I needed after this dramatic afternoon. I shook my head. I didn't need to start thinking about what had happened again; I had just calmed down. I found the cinnamon and opened it, taking a large whiff. I sighed; one of my favourite scents in the world. I tapped a little into the sauce, the rustier red standing out from the more vibrant sauce.

Not quite the color of the red-eyed guy

I stepped back from the stove in a hurry. I closed my eyes tight. I could still see him. That crouched figure. That slow turn of his head to look over his shoulder. Those red eyes.

"Hey Kathleen!"

I yelped and turned. Quil was peeking his head in the kitchen. His good-natured smile shifted downward into a look of shame.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. We just came over to see Billy. What're you making?" He sniffed the air heavily.

"Spaghetti and meat sauce." I turned back to the stove and stirred the sauce, silently scolding myself for being so jumpy.

"It's spaghetti!" he yelled. A small clamor broke out behind me; seconds later, I felt several people standing behind me. I turned. Quil, Embry, and Joe were standing unnecessarily close to me.

"Get out!" I half yelled, half laughed. "Honestly. Boys. You'd think you've never eaten before!"

They all backed off, but none of them left the kitchen. Instead, the hovered like vultures. I sighed. Just like home, I thought to myself.

Billy rolled in. "Hello Quil, Embry," he greeted his son's friends, "what brings you over?"

"Well, now it's what this brilliant woman is concocting…" Quil winked at me. I rolled my eyes.

"While compliments are welcomed, they will not make the sauce cook quicker."

"Might get me a bigger helping though."

"Actually," Embry looked at Quil pointedly, then at Billy, "we were looking for Jacob."

The kitchen dipped into silence. It was enough for me to glance over my shoulder momentarily. I thought I caught a shadow of something pass over Billy's face.

"He hasn't been home since he left for school. Have you checked Sam's?" Billy asked.

"Just came from there."

"He left right before lunch. Paul said he saw him leaving," Embry said. "He…he didn't come back for afternoon classes."

I stopped stirring and looked steadily forward. Oh shit.

"I wouldn't worry about it. He probably went out for a run and lost track of time."

"Billy, do you still have that book on tribe history? I wanted to borrow it for an English assignment," Quil said suddenly.

"Oh, yes. It's in my bedroom I believe." He, Quil, and Embry started out of the kitchen.

"Billy, do you have spaghetti?" I called.

"Yes, in one of the cabinets. Joe, why don't you help her while me and the boys look for this book."

Joe nodded and immediately started looking through the upper cabinets. The kitchen fell silent as we searched. In my gut, I knew Jacob was in trouble. There was something Joe and I weren't privy to know. My stomach knotted. I always worried about the unknown; that's where the danger lurked. The unknown was that big, spooky forest and the danger was that sabre-toothed monster and the red-eyed man.

"Found it!" Joe pulled out a box of pasta. He handed it to me, but didn't let go. "If those two are staying and they're as hungry as Jacob…"

"Make it two boxes," I finished his thought. Joe pulled down a second as I filled a pot with water from the tap.

"Get a feeling there's something we're not allowed to know?" I asked him quietly as I placed the pot on a back burner.

Joe shrugged. "If there was any big worry, they'd tell us. Or they'd tell you at least. They like you."

"They like you," I assured him. "At least Billy does. He loves telling stories. Jacob told me so."

Joe grinned. "They're actually really fascinating. We need to talk to that Quil guy's dad. Apparently, his father, that is, this Quil's grandfather, was tight with Ephraim, Jacob's grandfather, who was the last chief of the tribe."

I nodded and smiled, waiting for the pasta water to boil. "We can do that tomorrow. I'll get the video camera out from the Bus tonight and we can make sure everything's functioning properly."

"Sounds good," Joe commented. "Oh, water's going." He opened the two boxes of pasta and dumped both into the water.

"Eurgh," I pulled a face, "just thinking about the amount of noodles that's going to make turns my stomach slightly."

"I know. It's going to be great." Joe did a little dance of anticipation while he stirred the pasta in. I bumped him out of the way.

"And the fact that I know you four boys are going to devour it all the second it hits the table makes me even more sick." I shook my head. "Now go back to your work. Food should be ready in a few minutes."

"Oh good, I'm starving," Embry mentioned as he came out of Billy's room. "Can I talk to you for a little bit, Kathleen?"

"Sure thing, what's up?" I asked, giving the sauce one last stir before setting the heat to low.

"Actually, I was hoping I could talk to you upstairs. I've got a few questions."

"Uh, yeah. Joe?"

"Yo."

"Can you handle the pasta? It should be done in about 7 minutes. Just drain it and toss it in a bowl or something with the sauce."

"Got it." I handed the spoon to him. He gave me a pointed look, as if to say 'I told you so.' I rolled my eyes and followed Embry upstairs.

"You're in Rachael and Rebecca's old room, right?" Embry said. He didn't wait for a confirmation; he walked straight into the bedroom. As I walked in, I saw him smiling vaguely at my bed.

"Yeah, sorry for the mess." I nudged a few articles of clothing under my bed and moved a few notebooks off the desk chair. Embry didn't budge. I sat on the bed. I felt strangely intimidated.

"You were the last to see Jacob." Embry stated, but the way he looked at me, it almost seemed a question.

"Er, yeah. He came to see me at lunchtime. How'd you know?"

"Paul told us." He waved my question away. "Why'd he come see you?"

"Dunno. Said he wanted to check on me. Said he was worried."

"Did he say why he was worried?"

I shook my head. "What's going on? Where is he?" I tried to control the minor note of panic in my voice.

Embry must have caught it because he pulled the desk chair in close to me and sat down in it backwards, facing me. "Don't worry. There's nothing wrong. There's nothing to worry about. We're just trying to figure out what happened to him."

"Well he came to see me. I was on the beach, doing some transcribing, and he came up and we…talked for a little bit."

"You talked?"

"Yeah."

I didn't say anything else for a while, though it was obvious Embry was waiting for more. Finally, I sighed.

"He tried to kiss me, ok Embry."

"Oh."

"And I hesitated and he…freaked out."

"Oh." Silence. "What'd he do exactly?"

"He yelled a little, then went really quiet. He wouldn't talk to me." I looked down, trying to replay the dreadful moment in my head. "He just…shut down. Tensed up. It was like he couldn't talk, like it was taking too much concentration for him to for words. He…shook. Then he just pealed away and ran off into the forest."

I looked up at Embry. He was looking deep into my eyes. I felt bare; it was the same way Billy looked at me sometimes, like he was reading my thoughts. I inhaled deeply.

"Did you go after him?" Embry finally said.

"After a while, yes. There was this great, large howl you see and I got…worried."

"Worried?" Embry cocked his head quizzically. I frowned; that motion was an echo of something familiar.

"Yeah. I've been hearing these really ferocious growls and howls from the forest and with all the stories about bear attacks and such…" I trailed lamely. Embry, however, seemed to understand and nodded, urging me to continue. "So I went in. I went in pretty deep. Got myself a little lost. Then my mind started going."

Embry chuckled a little but checked himself. "You went a little mental?"

I smiled. "I guess. I started seeing things and hearing things. Joe says my overactive imagination got the better of me."

Embry stiffened. "You told Joe?"

"Well I had to tell someone about what happened."

"What happened exactly?"

I sighed. "Well, like I said, I saw something. Like a flash of white. Like something running. And there was this gigantic rustle. And a growl. And I freaked myself out and hid and promptly decided that I had been a stupid, mindless, foolhardy girl for going in there and decided to turn back. But then…"

"Then?" Embry prompted. I looked at him. If the situation was less dire and I was less freaked out, I would have commended myself for how intrigued Embry was with my story.

"Then I nearly had my head taken off by this wolf/bear thing."

Embry stood up quickly and turned away from me. He stiffened. My heart leapt to my throat. God, had I pissed off another Quileute man? I really was not doing well with this tribe.

"Embry?" I ventured. A second later, he turned, face clear. He sat down next to me and looked me straight in the eye, his expression completely unreadable.

"Kathleen? This is absolutely vital. I need you to describe this next part in as much detail as you can. Can you do this?" I nodded quietly. "Now the wolf. What did he look like?"

"I…I wouldn't really call it a wolf. It was more like a bear. In size, that is. The build was certainly wolf. But…God, Embry, if I had been standing, the thing could have easily looked me in the eye."

Embry nodded silently. He wanted more.

"It jumped clear over my head and made me fall over. It immediately turned around and crouched, ears back, haunches up and bristled, teeth bared into a snarl. It started stalking toward me and I tried to back away slowly, trying not to look it in the eye."

"Good," Embry managed a soothing smile. "You handled that well. What color was its coat?"

"Oh, uh," I racked my brain. "A sort of light brown with shades of gold and red."

"But it wasn't russet or anything was it?" Embry looked intent. I shook my head and he relaxed slightly. "And its paws were strangely large."

Embry actually chuckled at that. "They would," I thought I heard him mutter. He looked at me and gestured for me to continue.

"Anyway, as I'm laying there, waiting for the beast to eat me for lunch, this guy jumps between us."

Embry's face froze. "What guy?"

"He was tall. Not as tall as you, Quil, and Jacob, mind you, but certainly taller than me. His clothes were all dirty and tattered, like he's been wandering around for months."

"You sure he wasn't someone from the Res?"

I shook my head quickly. "He was too pale." Embry inhaled sharply. "Well, certainly paler than anyone on the Res I've met. And he was dirty and his hair was dark, so that could have easily made him look paler than he actually was."

"What about his eyes?"

I went silent and looked away. Embry squeezed my hand.

"Kathleen, I need to know. It'll help Jacob."

"Burgundy."

"What?"

"They were red. Burgundy. Practically black."

Embry jumped away from me. He slammed his fist into the wall and yelled something in a language that I guess was Quileute. He turned to me slowly, his eyes and face steely.

"Kathleen, did this man do anything? Did he say anything to you at all?"

I shook my head slowly. "I-I…the second he looked at me, I ran. I…just ran. I got out. And when I did, there was this great commotion behind me."

"Did you see what happened?"

I shook my head again. "I kept running until I got out."

Embry sighed heavily. "Did you see anything else?"

"I saw another wolf."

Embry looked up at me sharply. "What did he look like?"

"I – I'm not sure. I ran off really quick after seeing it."

"Did he – it do anything?"

"No. It just stood at the edge staring at me." I closed my eyes to try to remember. "It might have been darker than the first wolf, but that's all I can remember. I ran straight back here."

Embry nodded slowly. "Kathleen, do me a favor." I nodded. "Don't go in the forest alone again. In fact, it's best if you don't go in the forest at all."

I laughed hollowly. "Trust me, Embry. I'm not going back in there if I can help it."

Embry grinned, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes like Quil's always did. He hesitated for a second then gave me a quick hug. Barely had I wrapped my arms around him did he break away. He gave an awkward smile and chuckled.

"Let's go eat. I'm starving. And if that wasn't thunder I heard earlier, I'm going to have to battle not one but two hungry male stomachs down there to get my share."

I smiled and walked after Embry, who stormed down the stairs to the kitchen table, where already Quil and Joe were seated and chowing down on gigantic bowels of noodles.

…

It wasn't until hours past sunset that Quil and Embry finally left. Joe and I asked them dozens of questions, which sparked hundreds of stories, which caused millions of hyperventilating laughs, groans, and various other questions and stories. Billy finally said that he was falling asleep in his chair and bade us all goodnight. Quill and Embry hung around for a little while after that, watching old SNL clips on YouTube with Joe and I, which lead to us Mr. Bean, to Monty Python, to Whitest Kids U'Know, to Joe and I quoting each extensively. Eventually, one of them figured out that it was getting on in the night and both stood to leave.

Quil picked me up and swung me about in a bear hug, making me laugh and shriek for him to put me down. He did so and I faced Embry. There was a second of awkwardness between us before he hugged me gently.

"Don't worry," he whispered in my ear before pulling away. I nodded and waved goodbye to both of them before shutting the door.

"I like them," Joe said matter-of-factly.

"Of course you do." I flopped back down on the couch beside him. "They can go toe to toe with you food wise and Quil welcomes your unreserved bluntness."

"Radical honesty," Joe corrected. "I think I'm getting in with the tribe as well as you are, Kat."

"Good for you." I smiled. "We're going to see Mr. Ateara tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah I think so. Quil said he'd talk to his dad tonight and stop by tomorrow with his answer. Wanna set up the camera just in case?"

"Oh, yeah, I'll go grab it. Need anything else from the Bus?" Joe shook his head. I scooped up the keys and headed out the front door.

It was pitch black. It was now that one really realized how removed the Res was from everything. I had never seen so many stars in my life. I managed to tear my eyes away from the sky and picked my way across the muddy front lawn. I started humming the song I had had in my mind earlier, dancing slightly as I went.

I found the camera relatively quickly. I paused at the still open hood of the Bus and the toolbox beside it. I bit the corner of my lip. _Jacob, please come back soon_, I prayed_. I can't leave until you do. Don't be eaten by the wolf or hurt by the red-eyed man._

I left the garage and slung the camera bag over my head and over my shoulder. I was halfway back to the house when I heard a rustle behind me. I froze.

No. No no no no.

I turned slowly. There was nothing. I sighed heavily.

Then the woods next to me shook.

My eyes snapped to the dark tree line. I was dead still for a second. It was as if some voice was whispering just beyond the first layer of leaves. My curiosity was sparked. I felt drawn forward.

I'll just go through the backdoor and take a quick glance as I go, I told myself. Anyway, I like a walk before bedtime. And anyway, I'm right next to the house. What's going to attack me here?

I walked toward the forest at an angle; anyone would think I was just cutting across to the back door. At the last possible step, I stopped. One more step away from the house and it would be obvious I was heading for the forest. And Embry had warned me about the forest. The red eyes flashed in my mind and I could have sworn I heard the growl of the wolf again. I shook my head to clear it. The red eyes disappeared by the growl didn't.

In fact, it grew louder.

I turned forward and jumped.

Another wolf.

If possible, this one was even bigger than the one from the forest. Its fur was dark grey and bristled. It was much less ferocious than the one in the forest had been, but no less threatening. Its teeth were bared slightly and his ears were back. It was crouched but not quite ready to spring. And although my brain rationally registered that this wolf was only warning me, my heart knew no difference; it was trying to leap from my chest again and run for the house, but I was frozen in place, my hand clenched on the camera bag strap.

"Kathleen," a thankfully familiar voice said from behind me. I didn't have to turn to recognize it; the impossibly warm hand on the small of my back did that for me. My upper body relaxed under the heat, but my legs were still locked in place.

The wolf looked up at the voice as well. Immediately, it calmed significantly; the body and grey fur visibly lowered and the wolf pointed his muzzle up at Jacob. The tail went down, as if the wolf thought about tucking it but thought better of it. I could have sworn the tail gave a little shake of happiness. But for all this, it still stayed alert. The ears were flattened and the teeth still showed. The eyes narrowed and shifted to me.

"Kathleen, go inside," Jacob commanded.

"I-I don't think I can move," I said shakily. Jacob looked down at me. His face softened slightly and he looked back at the wolf. As if on command, the wolf snorted and trotted into the forest line.

"Come on," Jacob's voice was steely once more as he gently pushed me forward. I stumbled forward a bit as I regained motion in my legs. He caught me "You ok?" I nodded weakly and he guided me to the back door. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"What?" I looked up at him. I could tell he was struggling not to yell at me. "I…had to get the camera from the Bus."

"Why did you go in the forest, Kathleen?" he said.

"I didn't," I frowned. "Embry told me not to."

"Right. Good," Jacob muttered. "Don't ever go into the forest."

"Why?" The word was out before I could stop it. Jacob's eyes flashed. "Sorry."

"It's ok," he managed. "Just…don't. There are very dangerous things out there. Things besides bears."

"I know." Jacob looked at me. I knew he wanted me to explain. "Talk to Embry. I can't go through it again." And I couldn't. I was too tired. Jacob nodded. He opened the back door for me. I stepped through and he closed the door. "Jacob, where'd you go after we – " I turned to face him, but he was gone. I looked out the window. I saw his back disappear into the tree line. My hand was on the doorknob before reason caught up with me.

Now I had two warnings in one day to not go into the forest. Not to mention the encounter I just had with the wolf.

"Hey, did you get the camera?" I heard Joe call from the living room. I could hear the TV on.

"Yeah." I removed my hand and, with one last look out the window, went into the living room to figure out the camera.

…

A/N: Whew. Yeah. Long night. I'm sure there are grammatical errors galore in these two chapters. I'll edit after I get some sleep. I put in quite a few jokes from TV show, especially with Joe's characterization. It kept me going. I'm going to to try to uphold my old weekly updating schedule, but it'll probably become a biweekly update. We'll see.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, but I got a question asking when this takes place. I think it's post-Eclipse but pre-Breaking Dawn. Meh. It's kinda just...happening, you know?

Read. Review. Thanks.


	8. Patrol

A/N: Hello, and welcome to another episode of "I'm really guilty for being so late on updating (again) so I'm doing another double update!" On tonight's show: My computer died and I had to wait a week for the replacement part to come in the mail; in the subplot, this whole Jacob-centric entry of the story has been really impossible to write, thus causing me intense frustrations, dozens of deleted pages, and a further week deadline of updating: Part One. But enough excuses: ON WITH THE STORY!

Disclaimer: not mine.

...

Chapter 8: Patrol

I glanced behind me. Good, she wasn't following. For once. I smirked as I saw her shadow disappear from the door, resisting the urge to go back in and tell her everything. That I was a werewolf and she was my imprint. That her fuzzy attacker was her savior and the red-eyed savior was the attacker. That I had been the one watching from the edge of the forest. That I loved her more than any human could or ever would.

A bark made me look forward again, into the forest.

The wolf stared up at me. He huffed.

"So impatient," I chuckled. The wolf snorted and turned his back on me. Typical Paul. Making sure the trees properly covered me, I stripped and allowed myself to shift.

_Took long enough_, Paul's voice immediately resounded in my head.

_You're the one who scared her_, I thought back. I picked up my jeans and t-shirt in my mouth and laid them on a rock nearby.

_I was just warning her. _

_Rather ferocious warning. _

My ears pricked up at Paul's growl. He was close, but not too close. It was our night to patrol and by the sound of it, he had already trotted off to his portion of the territory. My nose twitched and I stifled my gag reflex; the leech had already been by here.

_Yeah, Embry and Quil smelled him around here a few hours ago when they were looking for you. Neither of them saw him, and when they checked later, it was gone. _

_Good._ I felt my throat rumble into a protective growl. _Is anyone else patrolling tonight besides you and I?_

_Sam said he might send Embry or Quil out after they made sure Kathleen was safe. _

I grinned internally. _They probably ate my dinner for me and then some._

_Quil ate most of it,_ Embry's voice popped in.

_Is Kathleen okay?_

_You just saw her, Jacob_. Paul sounded exasperated.

_She's fine,_ Embry assured me. _A little shaken obviously. Brady gave her quite a shock._

I growled again.

_Brady's apologizing profusely by the way. _Embry continued. _He smelled the leech and then saw Kathleen. He didn't think._

_You can say that again,_ I snorted.

_Kathleen's apologizing too,_ Embry said after a pause. _She's worried about you._

My heart lurched. I automatically looked back at the house. She needed me. She needed to know.

_No she doesn't,_ Paul said stonily.

_Where'd you go?_ Embry intervened. _Brady said you ran off after her and that by the time the leech left, he couldn't hear you._

_I made sure she got out okay. Then I left. I shifted and ran._

_Why?_

Paul's question brought back that horrible moment. I had been so close; centimeters away. For once, I was sure she wanted me, that she had accepted me, that she wouldn't care that I was half monster. Then she pushed me away. She rejected me.

_Oh._

Though the telepathic connection the pack has was usually helpful, it was times like these where it proves more than irritating. Paul and Embry had seen every second of my heart being torn out of my chest as if Kathleen had been rejecting them as well.

_So it was you she saw at the edge of the forest, not Brady?_

_Yeah. _

Everyone was silent. Embry was reliving his conversation with Kathleen earlier for my benefit. I cringed as I heard how worried I had made her by running away. Growled as I heard about Brady attacking her. I felt my heart soar that she had the common sense to run, then promptly fall at the realization that she was probably running more from Brady than from the leech.

_I told her to stay out of the forest_, Embry finished.

_She probably won't listen_, I smiled grimly, _but thanks. _

_Also, Sam wants a pack meeting tomorrow. Everyone has to be there._

_So that's why Seth and I saw him hanging around after school. _

_We're discussing the new leech. Kathleen's going to come up. Probably the right time to tell Sam you imprinted. _

_WHAT?! _

_Might help her learn the truth sooner. _

_SHE'S YOUR IMPRINT?!_

I ignored Paul. _ Why can't I just tell her?_

_Wait, what about Bella?_

Something clenched my heart as Embry scolded Paul for mentioning Bella.

_You can't tell her until Sam and the rest of the pack knows about her. Sam made the injection yesterday while you were gone._

_Emily and Kim didn't have to…be approved!_

_Emily and Kim aren't outside the tribe. You remember how angry everyone was when you disobeyed Sam and told – Bella. _My heart tightened again. _Do you really want to go through that again?_

_I DON'T CARE!_ I snarled and growled. _She's my imprint. She deserves to know. _

_Just wait til the meeting._ Embry said quietly. _You can't go see her anyway. Sam put you on all night patrol. _

_WHAT?!_ I howled in indignity.

_It's…kinda punishment for running off. _Embry sounded sympathetic. _Sam's ordering you to stay on patrol until the morning meeting. Quil's going to come collect you after he checks in on Kathleen and schedules the interview she's doing with Old Quil._

_Interview?_ Paul interjected.

_She's a journalist._

_WHAT THE – !?"_

_Paul, shut up!_ I snapped. _So I can't see her. At all?_ I was fuming. I wanted that leech to show up. I wanted to rip it limb from limp into microscopic bits. I wanted to torch it in front of Kathleen and tell her the truth. I wanted her to know. Everything.

_Jacob, take the section by your house. That way, you can make sure she's safe. _Embry paused. _Paul, go ahead and head home. Jacob and I can handle patrol tonight. _

_You sure?_ Paul sounded a little suspicious.

_Yeah. You took my afternoon shift when I ran off,_ Jacob said. _It's the least I can do. _

Paul paused. _Ok. Thanks. See you two in the morning. _

Embry waited until Paul's thoughts disappeared.

_Hey Jacob?_

_Yeah?_ I was already staring at the back of my house. I saw walk into the kitchen. She was laughing. She was safe.

_If you…disappear for a few minutes every once in a while tonight…shift back for…whatever. As long as you come right back…I won't say anything. _

I smiled. Embry really did understand.

…

Of course I checked on her. Around one in the morning, she finally went upstairs. She spent about a minute in her room. The light went out. Then the light in my room turned on. My heart lurched. Was she waiting for me? Did she need me? I nearly shifted right then when Embry called me down. Apparently I was only allowed to check on her when she was asleep.

Which I did.

Now it was morning. I was pacing the treeline, waiting for Quil's truck to amble up. I stopped and scratched my back against one of the trees, lifting my snout to look at Kathleen's window. The light was still off.

The wind changed and I sniffed earnestly. Nothing.

_Anything your way?_ Embry asked.

_Nope. _I sighed. _Quil's not here either._

_And Kathleen's not up?_

Oh yeah. Telepathy.

_Nope. Oh wait._ I looked up; the light had just flipped on. _Never mind._ I resisted the urge to go see her.

_Just wait til after the meeting. See what Sam says._

I groaned. Embry had been saying that all night. The fact that everyone was keeping me away from her was driving me up a wall.

_Sorry. _

Quil's truck drove up just then, saving me from responding. As he stepped out of the truck's cabin, I barked to get his attention. Quil looked at me and smiled. I retreated and shifted quickly, pulling on my pants and running out; I wanted to talk to him before he went inside.

"Hey man," Quil said. "How'd patrol go?"

I grumbled quietly. "We got nothing. It's still hanging around, but it's staying just out of range."

Quil huffed. His eyes shifted to the house. "Have you…?"

He didn't have to finish. I shook my head.

"The injunction. Sam said I couldn't talk to her until after the meeting."

"Why are you letting that stop you?"

I paused. Quil understood. Nothing kept him from Claire. In fact, the little two year old was currently running around the backyard; Quil couldn't look me in the eye for longer than two seconds before checking on her.

"I don't know." I rubbed the back of my neck. "I think it was when she didn't…when she…" I sighed. Quil nodded. Embry had obviously told him about her hesitation to kiss me.

"I'll talk to her." Quil patted me on the back sympathetically. "I…I know you can't talk to her, but…if I talked to her outside or near a window, could you listen?"

I grinned. Thank God for Embry and Quil. If I was forbidden to see her until after the meeting, at least I could hear her.

"I'll wait for you in the forest." I jogged off and shifted.

_So what's up?_

_Quil's going to talk to her and he's going to make it so that I can hear._ Embry was quiet. _Does that pass your rules?_

Embry snorted. _They're Sam's rules. You know if I had my way, she'd know everything._

I grinned as I saw the backdoor open. _I know. _

_And I guess since you're not really talking to her…_

Quil, Joe, and Kathleen were walking out. Embry saw through my mind and shut up. I perked up my ears.

"So my grandfather would love to talk to you both today," Quil was saying. "He's currently an Elder of our tribe and he was very close to Ephraim."

"Great!" Joe grinned. "Any specific time?"

"Um," I saw Quil glance away quickly. "I'll stop by around lunch and take you both over."

"Thanks. Kat, you ok?" Joe nudged her. She looked up from the ground quickly.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just…tired." She gave a head clearing shake and a hollow smile.

"Kat!" Claire called. Kathleen looked down at the two year old and smiled.

"Yes, madam?" Kathleen kneeled down to be at eye level with her. Claire took her hand and dragged her around the backyard. Kathleen laughed. "Looks like we're going on a walk."

"Not in the forest, Claire!" Quil called.

"Kay!"

Claire led Kathleen all over the backyard, pointing at random things for her to identify.

"Pine tree," Kathleen said. Claire grabbed the leaves and smelled her hand. She giggled then shoved it under Kathleen's nose. "Mmm!" Kathleen smiled before Claire dragged her off. She pointed to a daisy a few feet away.

"Fowwer!" She cried happily.

"Very good!" Kathleen praised. Claire's hands squeezed and reached for it. Kathleen plucked it and tucked it behind her ear. "Very pretty." Kathleen tickled her briefly, making her scream in laughter.

"You two ok over there?" Quil called. Joe had gone inside.

"We're fine!" Kathleen smiled over her shoulder. Claire tottled over to Quil, flower in hand. Quil swept her up in to a hug.

"Fowwer!" Claire stuffed the flower in his hand.

"Why, thank you Claire-bear!" Embry kissed her on the cheek as she continued to babble about what she saw.

My gaze shifted back to Kathleen, who was still standing where Claire left her. She wrapped her arms around herself, sighing heavily as she watched the duo. I wanted to comfort her, make sure she knew she wasn't alone, that someone loved her as much as Quil loved Claire. I took a step toward her.

_No!_

In Embry's interruption, I stepped on a twig. The snap must have alerted her; she jumped and looked inquisitively into the forest. Almost directly at me.

"Hey, Kathleen?" Quil called her attention away. I shrunk away, feeling guilty. Quil walked over to her. "You sure you're ok?"

"Uh, yeah." She looked away from the forest and at him. "Why?"

"You seem really distracted."

There was a long pause.

"Why didn't Jacob come back last night?"

"W-What do you mean?"

"Quil, I saw you two talking just before you came in. I saw you from my bedroom window. He talked to you then he ran off."

Quil kicked the ground guiltily.

"He's avoiding me, isn't he?"

"No!" Quil looked up quickly. "He just…had something he had to do last night. It was all just…bad timing."

"No, he's still angry with me for yesterday. For not kissing him. Dammit," she hissed the last word. She skewered her eyes closed and set her jaw, obviously trying not to break down. I lurched forward, ready to comfort her.

Two things happened very quickly. First, Embry appeared in front of me, blocking me from her. Second, Quil took Kathleen's elbow and steered her around so that her back was to me.

_You can't,_ Embry reminded me. I bared my teeth and growled quietly. He was supposed to be on my side. _I am on your side. But think about it. She'd either see you as the wolf she's absolutely terrified of at the moment or stark naked, which would probably freak her out just as much. _

"Kathleen, he doesn't hate you," Quil was saying at the same time. "It's quite the opposite. He's worried that…he moved too quickly. He's afraid that he scared you. He's…trying to give you some space."

"Oh." Kathleen didn't seem convinced; of course, Quil wasn't being very convincing. "I just…I get the feeling he's…keeping something from me." Quil was quiet. "He is, isn't he?" Quil said nothing. "And you know."

Kathleen started nodding. I could feel her getting frustrated and slightly angry. "And I'll bet Embry knows too." She gave a disbelieving laugh. "I can't believe this. Why can't you tell me? Do you not trust me?"

"No! I mean, yes! I…" Quil huffed in frustration. "Trust me, if I could, I'd tell you, but…"

"But what?" Kathleen nearly yelled. "You know I'm good for it. I know the fact that I'm a 'journalist' may make me seem shady, but…I swear to…Taha Aki or whoever the Quileute hold sacred that I would never tell. Not if it was that close to Jacob and you two."

"I know…" Quil sounded defeated. He looked over her shoulder. He met my eyes; I could see his resolve waning.

"I just want him to trust me. I want you to trust me."

Embry went on alert. His head whipped around to Quil and Kathleen. He had heard my thoughts. He shifted quickly and pulled on the pair of pants on the rock.

My pants.

"Hey, Quil!" Embry shouted, jogging out of the forest. The two looked at him. "Hurry up, we're going to be late."

"Oh…right," Quil shied away from Kathleen. "I'll…see you at lunch."

I growled ferociously, a snarl at the end of it. Kathleen jumped, panicked.

"Er, yeah." She tossed a glance at the forest. "See you then."

"Doggie!" Claire shouted, pointing into the trees.

Pointing…at me.

"Come on, Claire! Let's go see Emily!" Embry called, taking Claire's hand and leading her away. Kathleen looked at the trio before walking into the house, casting one final glance into the woods.

I had been so close. Again. And it fell through once more.

...

A/N: Hurrrrrblluurrghhhaaackkkmmm. Part two (ie. Chapter 9) GUARANTEED ON FRIDAY. Please review. (spontaneously combusts)


	9. Meeting

A/N: And now Part Two of 'I'm-a-horrible-person-for-not-updating-so-I-update-like-mad-now-to-beg-for-forgivness'! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Still not mine. Eh.

…

Chapter 9: Meeting

"I said I was sorry," Embry apologized again.

We were seated in the bed of Quil's truck. I was ignoring him, watching the dirt road roll under the truck's wheels. I had been wrong. Embry didn't understand after all. He couldn't understand. He didn't have an imprint. He didn't know what it was like to have to keep so many secrets from your other half. To keep part of yourself hidden your other self.

"We're here," Quil said quietly from the cabin of the truck. I looked up dully; Emily's little grey house already had several trucks and cars parked around it. I could just make out Paul and Leah on the porch. I leapt out of the truck before Quil completely turned it off. Embry followed closely while Quil busied himself with getting Claire out of her car seat.

"Ah, our guest of honour graces us with his presence," Leah called from the porch. She mock bowed as I scaled the steps.

"Not now, Leah," I hissed.

"Aww, is the widdle puppy sleepy?" Leah baby talked me. From beside her, I saw Paul hid an amused smirk. I set my jaw; I was not going to tolerate Leah's antagonizing today. "Or is this because puppy's widdle impwint don't like him vewwy much?"

My rage mounted. I started shaking, my jaw physically hurting from clenching. Leah cocked her head. "Tender subject, Jacob?" she feigned innocence. "I heard you 'imprinted'. Think this one will actually stick around? Better hope that new leech doesn't get hold of her. We know how much Jacob's lovers prefer the cold meat."

I took a threatening step toward her, but Embry caught my elbow, directing me toward the house.

"Just because you haven't imprinted yet, Leah, doesn't mean you can taunt those who have," he said softly.

"And you have, Embry?" Leah retorted. "And who said Jacob's imprinted for real this time?"

"I do," I bit. "Not like you'd know what imprinting's like. Maybe you should talk to Sam about that."

Paul barely caught Leah in time; she launched herself at me, grasping for blood. She clawed at Paul, screaming and fighting to get at me. "Let go of me, Paul! I'll kill him. I'LL RIP YOUR THROAT OUT, BLACK!"

"Let her go, Paul, and let her try." I glared. A fight might help me clear my head. Besides I was sick of Leah. She baited me constantly when Bella chose her leech and when she married the leech and when she decided to become a leech herself.

I couldn't fight it anymore.

I shifted.

With an almighty snarl, I jumped at Leah and Paul, mid-shift. Paul barely jumped out of the way. By the time I tackled Leah to the ground, she had shifted as well. She swiped at my face and kicked me off. I felt myself be launched into the air.

_You bastard_, I heard Leah growl in my head. I landed on my feet and turned. Leah was creeping toward me, light grey fur bristling, ears erect, and teeth fully bared. I dropped into a crouch, feeling my hackles bristle and my entire body tense.

She lashed out at me, her teeth aimed for my neck. I threw her off and charged at her. She scampered off to the forest and I followed. Several yards in, I lost track of her; she was fast and her grey fur blended in perfectly with the midmorning light.

_I may be a bastard, but you're the epitome of a bitch_, I thought, knowing she'd hear.

_How dare you bring up Sam_, Leah snarled back.

_You brought up Bella._

A growl alerted me milliseconds before the attack; Leah leapt onto my back, scratching and snarling. I whipped around and caught her around the shoulders. Our front paws tangled and swatted as we stood on out hind legs, our aggressive faces mirroring each other.

_Just because you're miserable doesn't mean you have to suck everyone down with you,_ I snarled. I pushed her off. She jumped backwards and started circling me.

_I can't help it that you're all so easy to irritate_. She gave a wolfish grin. I launched at her again.

_Enough._

I saw Leah tense at the new voice. We both looked to see Sam a few feet away, his pure black fur shining in the sun. He was staring us down, tensed, ready to assert his dominance if either of us tried to fight again. He trotted between us and turned to me, glaring.

_Leah, go shift. Emily's at the forest edge with clothes for you._

I could see Leah's ear's flatten and her eyes narrow. She growled slightly and took a step to me. Sam's head whipped around.

_Now._

Leah's tail dropped and she trotted away. Sam looked at me again, waiting for Leah's dark mumblings to disappear, signaling that she had shifted back. He apparently wanted a private conversation.

_You're not helping yourself Jacob_, Sam's voice sounded tired.

_She started it. _

_You didn't have to bring Emily into it. _

_Sorry._ I whined and hung my head. I knew I had taken it too far, but I wanted her to feel like I did. I wanted her to hurt. I was frustrated and she got in the way.

_I know it's been difficult to follow my injunction._ Sam started trotting back toward Emily's. I followed. _But I do appreciate you waiting until the meeting._

_Sam, she deserves to know._ I tried to stay calm. _I know there's no way you could keep this level of a secret from Emily._

_I can't keep ANY secret from Emily_. Sam's tongue lolled out in a sort of wolfish smile. _But it's different with Kathleen. The same way it was different for when you liked Bella. Because she's outside the tribe, the rest of the pack has to determine the risk level of her knowing our secret. _

_I know,_ I grumbled reluctantly.

_There's a new pair of jeans over there_. _Your other clothes got ruined in the shifting. _Sam nodded to the base of tree, taking his own pair of pants in his mouth. _I'll meet you inside._

I waited for Sam to dress and leave before shifting myself. It did make sense; I'd be suspicious of an outsider imprint as well. However, because it was Kathleen, I suddenly didn't find it fair that nine people had a say on my relationship with my soul mate.

…

The second I stepped into the crowded kitchen, Emily greeted me with a towering stack of pancakes and a large glass of milk. I took them gratefully.

"I'm sorry," she whispered in my ear as she directed me to an empty seat at the table. I could see Leah icing her shoulder and glaring at me from the far corner. On her left was Paul, looking as sullen as ever. Seth was munching on his own pancakes on Leah's right, protecting them from Jared, who was reaching across the table to steal some. Emily smacked his hand.

"Be patient. Yours are coming up next," she scolded good-naturedly. She returned to the pans on the stove.

"Did the leech show up last night?" Sam asked, leaning against the wall.

Paul, Embry, and I shook our heads. I felt a growl of frustration growing in my throat. I forced it down with a bite of pancake, washing it back with half a glass of milk.

"I smelled it yesterday around Jacob's," Quil spoke up from his chair in the corner. He made a falsely cheerful face while bouncing Claire on his knee. "It was gone by the time I investigated though."

"Em, can you take her?"

Emily slipped a plate of pancakes in front of Jared then took Claire's hand, leading her into the back bedroom. Sam waited for the door to close before continuing.

"So we know there's a leech. Was it one of the Cullens?"

"No," Brady spoke up. I looked up. The boy seemed to be taking it hard; his head was down and he spoke softly. "It was black haired. Medium length and shaggy. Male. Pale. Looked…" he trailed off. He looked up at me; his eyes were nervous and apologetic.

"Looked what?" Sam prompted.

"Well…" Brady held my eyes. "Well, no offense Jacob, but the leech and the girl looked almost related."

Embry's hand caught my shoulder before I could attack. Brady shrunk back in his seat, dropping his eyes again.

"Kathleen…is not….a leech," I growled in a low voice.

"He didn't say that!" Collin butted in, barring his friend from my view. "He just said they looked…similar."

I bared my teeth at the two of them. They were pups. Immature. Inexperienced. Even idiots like them should be able to tell the difference between a human and a vampire. I started to voice this comment, but Embry interrupted me.

"She is pale, I'll give you that. And they both smell a little sweet."

"She does not!" I yelled.

"Yes, Jacob, she does." He let go of me and leaned against the counter again. I hunched over the table and stared at the plate stonily. Embry continued. "But she is not a leech. Quil and I have spent a good amount of time around her. She's as human as they come." He paused. "I can also vouch for the fact that Jacob has imprinted on her."

The kitchen went silent.

"He also said he imprinted on Bella," Leah spoke up. I narrowed my eyes at her.

"I _tried_ to," I corrected. "It didn't work. Kathleen's my imprint."

"She is," Quil nodded.

"Can you prove it?" Sam asked.

"Can you prove how you imprinted on Emily?" I snapped. "Or Quil with Claire? Or Jared with Kim?"

"Just…describe it."

I sighed, closing my eyes, trying to remember the first moment I saw her. "Their car had broken down and Billy had offered me to help fix it while they were in town doing interviews for some travel media."

"She's a reporter?" Sam sounded suspicious.

"More of a journalist. Her internship sent her out here to get information for travel documents. Brochures, books, commercials…" I waived it off.

"She's talking to Grandfather today," Quil spoke up. "I'm taking her and Joe over there around lunch."

"Is anyone else a little suspicious about how close she's getting to the pack?" Paul muttered.

"What does it matter if she's an imprint?" Jared butted in. "If she's meant to be with Jacob, she'll know everything soon enough."

"But she's a reporter!" Paul yelled. "She's here on an assignment! Who says she's not going to tell the world about the pack?"

"We'll get to that in a minute," Sam hushed them. "Jacob?"

I glared at Paul before continuing. "Anyway. The second I saw her, it was like…tunnel vision. I couldn't see anything else but her. A second ago, I was worried about finishing my homework in time to work on the Rabbit. I was thinking about meeting up with Embry and Quil. I was even…thinking about Bella and how she was doing." My heart panged for a second; it seemed so long ago since that afternoon. "But the second I saw her, I forgot everything. I just knew I had to know who she was. I had to know why she was here and what I could do to make her stay, because I knew if she left…I would die," I ended lamely. Again the kitchen was quiet. "I – I'm sorry. I can't explain it better than that. She's all that matters anymore."

Jared nodded. "Well, I'm convinced." He stretched and winked at me. "Welcome to the club, mate. She'll make a fool of you and you'll love every second of it." I smiled gratefully at him; one more on my side.

"It does sound like you've imprinted," Sam conceded. His gaze flitted to the hallway, to the bedroom where Emily and Claire were. "But she is a reporter. Does she know anything?"

"Dad's told her and Joe a few stories. Nothing incriminating, just the stories any Quileute kid would know," I said before Sam or Paul could interrupt. "She did ask me if the stories were true, though."

"See?" Paul crossed his arms.

"What did you say?" Sam prompted.

"I didn't tell her either way," I sighed. "It was hard." I paused. "I want to tell her everything."

"You can't," Leah stared at me.

"I know that," I snapped at her. "She doesn't believe any of it. Yet."

"Exactly," Quil piggybacked. "She's seen the leech. And Brady."

"She can describe both to exhausting detail," Embry piped in. "It's not long before she's going to start asking specific questions. She'll want to know who the leech is. She thinks it saved her from Brady."

"Yeah, someone might want to correct her on that," Quil cracked a smile, nudging me. I couldn't return the gesture.

"Why?" Leah asked. "Fear's good. Maybe if she's afraid of Brady and the rest of us, she'll stay out of the forest."

"But the leech is after her!" I shouted.

"What?"

"Since when?"

I looked around; had none of them actually realized the obvious? "Kathleen's the target. How else do you explain him being on our territory? That he made himself known with Brady was attacking her?" Brady hung his head again; Collin patted his back. "Why else did Quil smell him around my house?"

"He was probably hungry, Jacob," Seth said. "He knew a human was in your house and that you weren't there."

Embry nodded. "Kathleen did say his eyes were nearly black. Didn't the Cullens' eyes always go black when they needed to feed?" The rest of the kitchen nodded. I punched the counter angrily; how could they all be so blind?

"Why the hell didn't he go to Forks or Seattle to feed then?!" I shouted. "Why would he purposefully go into our territory, knowing full well that we could kill him?!"

"He could not have known." Seth shrugged.

"Oh, come on," Quil scoffed. "Bloodsuckers may be inhuman, but they're not stupid. They hate our smell just as much as we hate their smell."

"They know we'll kill them," Jared nodded. "We made the treaty strong enough."

I was about to asset my opinion again, when Sam called for quiet. He ticked the facts off on his hand, trying to make sense of the argument."We know there's a leech. We know Jacob's imprinted."

"So he says," Leah mumbled. Sam put a hand on my shoulder, halting the comment in my throat.

"He has. That point is not up for discussion." Sam gave her a stern look and she was quiet. "What we don't know is why the leech is here. We don't know if it has any connection to the Cullens. And, Jacob, we don't know for sure whether or not it is after Kathleen. However, because she is an imprint, she is privy to the same amount of protection as any other imprint."

The pack nodded. Paul cleared his throat.

"What about her snooping? Does she get to know about the pack?"

"Yes," I said automatically.

"That's not up for you to decide," Sam said. "We haven't met her."

"I have!" Quil interrupted. "And so has Embry!" Embry nodded.

"She's trustworthy. I don't think she'd tell anyone," he said.

"She'd never." Quil put up his hand in mock swear. "She swore to Taha Aki."

"She did?" Sam asked. "What did she mean by that?"

"She knows Jacob's keeping something from her. She wants to know and that if he wants, she won't tell anyone. She wants his trust."

My heart panged again.

Paul snorted. "Trust. Yeah, right. She already tried to go back on her promise to Embry to not go in the forest."

"She didn't go in the forest, now did she?" I snapped at him before rounding on Sam. "See? She promises not to tell! Doesn't that count for something?"

Sam still looked nervous. "I don't know, Jacob. I know reporters. They'll do anything to sell a story."

"SHE'S NOT SELLING A STORY!" I punched the table; it cracked and splintered slightly. I felt like shifting; no one was listening to me.

"I'm trying really hard not to judge her, Jacob!" Sam raised his voice. "I'm just saying I'm hesitant."

"You should be," Leah said. "Brady said she looked related to the vampire. Is it really just coincidence that he was right there and that he _protected_ her from Brady?"

"Brady was about to tear her limb from limb!" I shouted. "I was about to jump in myself but the leech got there first!"

"I'm really sorry, Jacob," Brady apologized quietly.

"It does sound a little like she and the leech are connected," Collin mused. "They look alike, they smell alike, they were right next to each other…"

"No, Kathleen smells…spicier than a leech." Quil commented thoughtfully.

"Still, if Brady could confuse the two, there must be quite a few similarities," Collin countered.

"In Jacob's defense, the leech was right behind her. Brady could have smelled him and saw her," Embry said.

"But still, why didn't let the bloodsucker let Brady kill her if it was hungry?" Leah asked.

"Because it wanted to kill her himself!" I insisted.

"Ok, ok!" Sam yelled over the argument. "The fact of the matter is, is that this meeting is getting out of hand. The forest is currently unpatrolled. Who wants to go?"

"I'll go." Brady stood. "You guys argue about whether or not she should know." He was nearly out the door when he turned. "I really am sorry, Jacob. I didn't know she was your imprint. It is possible that I smelled the vampire, saw her, and drew conclusions…but it is a little weird that they smell so close." He shut the door behind him. There was a beat of silence before Jared stood as well.

"I'll go too. But for the record, I think Kathleen should know. Not because she's possibly under attack. No offense, Jacob, but I think that's you getting too worried for your imprint. I'm worried too, as are Sam and Quil. But Kathleen should know about the pack for the same reasons Kim and Emily know about the pack: because she's an imprint." The door shut again. I could just see Jared shift as he entered the forest.

"So that's one against and one for," Sam tallied. "What about the rest of you? Should we tell Kathleen?"

"No," Paul and Leah said in unison.

"She wants to know and she's good for it," Quil said.

"She might be a reporter, but she cares enough about Jacob to not tell," Embry agreed.

"She's too close to the vampire. He protected her. She might be another Bella. She might compromise us." Leah shook her head firmly.

"I'm with Leah," Collin sidled next to her and Paul. "Brady's got a good nose. He could have told the difference between a leech and a human. They look too alike."

"You haven't even seen her," I growled at Collin.

"Jacob." Sam's voice was warning. "Seth, what do you think?"

Seth looked at me thoughtfully then at his sister. "I dunno. Embry and Quil have been around her a lot and they seem to trust her. And the fact that she's an imprint has to count for something." He paused. "If Jacob likes her, I like her. She sounds fun."

Sam nodded slowly. "I'm still hesitant. No, Jacob," I closed my mouth as he continued, "I accept the fact that she's an imprint and I'll honour that. It's too early to know the leech's intentions. For now, everyone in La Push and Forks is in danger. She'll get the same amount of protection and respect as any other imprint, but the pack will have to meet her before any further decision is made."

"So I can't still tell her?" I was fuming. I knew his answer.

"Not yet." Though Sam looked apologetic, I didn't believe it. I pushed back away from the table and stormed out of the kitchen. "Jacob…JACOB!" I heard him call after. I blocked out his voice; if I couldn't hear him, I wouldn't have to obey his orders. I stormed past the trucks and cars, trying to put as much distance between me and those idiots who thought they could dictate my life.

I punched a tree, ignoring the shooting pain. I would find some way to tell her. She had to know. I couldn't stand the secrets. I couldn't keep avoiding her. It had been easy to avoid Bella; she wasn't my imprint.

Bella.

Of course.

If Bella could guess it, why couldn't Kathleen?

I'd make it obvious. Painfully obvious. I'd tell her more stories; they hadn't said I couldn't tell stories. I grinned mischievously as a plot formed. It would work out. It had too. It was destiny.

…

A/N: Wheeee. Jacob's got a plan.

All right everyone, get excited. Guess who is making a very special appearance next week?! That's right! It's Joe! He's tired of being ignored and is ready to put his own two cents in on the whole La Push thing.

Thanks again for the bundles of reviews I got. They propelled me to write the Joe chapter super early AND the chapter after that! Hence: more reviews equals happy writer and quicker, more steady updates which (hopefully) equals in happy readers. Everybody wins!

Also, completely off topic, but I happen to know that IFC films is putting "Dead Snow" into limited release this Friday. If anyone goes to see it or knows if it's going into general release, could you PLEASE inbox me or leave information in a review? I'm DYING to see it, but I live in a small town down south and seriously doubt it'll be coming here.


	10. Why La Push Sucks

A/N: Greetings once more, readers! Here's what you've all been waiting for (maybe)..._drumroll_...an entire chapter dedicated to that bitterly honest, faithful man; the ever present yet oft overlooked cameraman. Yes, ladies and gentlemen. It's Joe's very own chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Joe is mine. Kathleen is mine. That's...about it.

...

Chapter 10: Why La Push Sucks

It was hour 5 of editing interview footage when I came to the realization that La Push sucks.

I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes tiredly. Of course, I had suspected that this reservation was less than wonderful. One, apparently no one had heard of Wi-Fi, let alone DSL.

Nope. Apparently modems still did exist.

That had been interesting, attaching the outdated machine to my baby: a brand new, top of the line MacBook Pro, fully decked out with the latest audio, visual, web, and photo editing software. I had to take a picture; I wasn't sure if Kathleen would get the joke.

For some reason, she actually liked it here.

Anyway.

The second hint had been the fact that in the week that we've been here, I've only seen the sun once. I looked out the window. Green. Oppressive green, if such a typically peaceful colour could be oppressive. The perpetual drizzle had built up into a torrential storm in the last five minutes, saturating the green even further. Wonderful.

I tried to crack my back. Unsuccessful. Now, I had had my share of dorm beds that were more glorified cots, worn down motel beds with questionable histories, and many, many uncomfortable nights crashing in the sagging seats of the VW Bus. However, the Blacks' ancient couch made me consider moving back into the Bus. At least then I could finally have the semi bed-like back seat; Kathleen always claimed it first and my stifled gentleman tendencies wouldn't let me steal it from her.

The Blacks gave Kathleen a bed. Not that I'm bitter.

Reasons three and four as to La Push's suckiness.

Currently, she was out with Jacob picking up the parts he had ordered earlier in the week. I hoped that meant he was nearly done fixing the beast and that we'd be on our way. The work on the Bus had us completely off schedule and we were running out of places to photograph and people to interview. Andrea would only take so many excuses to our delays.

On the bright side, Jacob had started to open up lately. It turned out that he was a veritable encyclopedia on the shapeshifter parts of Quileute legend. In the past week, we now had several pages and files of information on Taha Aki, Utlapa, some kind of evil spirit warrior, The Great Wolf, and Kaheleha. However, I got the feeling that these stories were slightly forbidden to tell. Jacob was always careful to make sure we were alone and that we swore not to tell anyone outside the house that we knew this information. It was only a matter of time before he insisted that we don't use any of this in print. I was hoping he wouldn't; this was great stuff. Like An American Werewolf in London or Wolf or any other movie with werewolves I had seen.

A particularly nasty clap of thunder made me jump. The door swung open, partially from the gust of wind but mainly from Jacob holding said door for a dripping Kathleen.

"Did you two get everything you needed?" I asked, returning to editing.

"Very nearly. I got you a present," Kathleen shook a newspaper in my face. I grabbed at it; anything for a connection to the real world. My heart fell slightly. It was only the local paper.

"You couldn't spring for the Times?" I asked, unfolding the front page.

"Hey, at least I thought of you. Now, shove over so I can check my email." I relinquished the computer. She clicked around a few times. "Nyerrr," she groaned, "I've got psychology work. Nessa's emailing it to me." She hit the laptop angrily. "How will memorizing learning behaviours help me in journalism?"

I shrugged, not bothering to look at her. So dramatic. "Hmm, a guy's gone missing in Port Angeles."

"Eh?" Kathleen didn't look up from the computer. Jacob was rummaging through the plastic bags I guessed contained the various parts for the Bus.

"Yeah. He's been gone for three days." I flipped the page, moving on. Going to school in Seattle during the serial killer drama a few years ago made me disregard any paranoid missing persons report. Especially those in which the 'victim' was gone for less than a week.

Kathleen, however, was slightly more interested. She tugged the front page out of my hands. "Huh. Apparently this reporter thinks there's some connection between the Seattle killings and this." She pushed the paper away and scoffed. "Right. Cause every missing person immediately means some black hearted psycho murdered them in cold blood."

I snorted; Kathleen had a strong, almost irrational distaste for media bias, causing her to abstain from reading or watching the majority of news sources for about 10 years now.

Jacob picked up the paper and scanned it quickly. He dropped it and went into the kitchen. I vaguely heard him dial a phone and talk into it in a hurried whisper.

"Weird," I muttered.

"Yeah," Kathleen said, returned to the computer.

Jacob came back in. "Where's Dad?" he said to neither one of us in particular.

"Er, someone named Charlie came by earlier. I think they went fishing," I responded, continuing with my paper.

"In this weather?"

"Well, in their defense, the morning's sun fooled us too." Jacob winked at Kathleen, who was shaking out her still damp hair. Somehow, Jacob was already perfectly dry. I frowned at him; there was something off about that boy.

Lightning flashed and the door slammed open again. A tall mustached man pushed Billy inside, pausing to wipe his feet free of mud before coming in and closing the door. His jacket was emblazoned with an official looking police seal and a badge that read 'C. Swan.'

"Hey Dad." Jacob sounded almost relieved. He froze at the sight of the other man. "Chief Swan."

The police chief straightened. "Hello, Jacob." He sounded warm, but there was still some tension between the two.

"Did you get all the parts you needed?" Billy asked, wheeling himself further in and placing the fishing poles in the corner.

"There's a belt that's taking a few extra days to come in, but other than that, yeah." Jacob smiled. "Catch anything before getting rained out?"

"A couple." Chief Swan held up a string of five fish. "Descaled and gutted. Billy told me there's someone here who's been more than handy in the kitchen?"

"I'm good at faking it and the Blacks' are too nice to tell me it's mediocre," Kathleen smiled shyly. "I'm Kathleen Harken. That's Joe Coren." She pointed to me. I waved. "We're in town to do some research for travel documentation. Road books, commercials, tourist info, that sort of thing."

"Interesting. Well I don't know how much you'll find this way. We're a rather small town. We keep to ourselves."

"Well, we're covering everything, so…" I said, finally setting down the paper. Nothing exciting. I'd have to go hunt down a copy of the Times later. Chief Swan motioned for the paper. I gave it to him and moved into the kitchen. Maybe he'd find it more interesting than I.

Kathleen was filleting the fish in the kitchen. She turned with the knife, nearly stabbing Jacob who was hovering around behind her. He yelled and grabbed his stomach.

"Jacob!" she cried. She dropped the knife with a clatter and ran to him. "Oh my God, are you okay? Are you bleeding? Let me see." She pried at his hands, trying to see the wound.

He groaned dramatically, leaning backwards onto the counter. Kathleen moved closer, still pleading for him to let her help. Suddenly, his face split into a grin. He moved his hands. There was no cut, no blood; he was fine.

"You should have seen your face," he chuckled. Kathleen narrowed her eyes and went back to the fish.

"You ass. See if I feed your fat face tonight," she grumbled. Jacob came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Aww, come on," he whined. "I'm not fat."

"You're a pig." She elbowed him in the stomach. He laughed. "I know that didn't hurt you, but I wish it did," she snapped.

"Shall I pretend? Oh God!" He grabbed his stomach again, wheeling around. "I'm hit! You got me! Bluuuhhh…" He stumbled and fell against the counter, smiling up at her. She tried to stifle a giggle, but it snuck through.

God, it's shameless they way they flirt.

"Did you see this missing person report?" Chief Swan called from the living room.

"No." Billy rolled himself over. "There's another one?"

"Port Angeles." He handed the paper to Billy. He read it and looked at his son.

"Jacob, did you read this?"

Jacob straightened, suddenly completely serious. He nodded gravely.

"What's the big deal?" I asked as I absently stirred the cornmeal-based batter Kathleen had already made up. "It's a missing person. It's not a murder. Seattle had tons of missing person reports. They…usually turned up."

"True," Chief Swan said, "but we found a body today in the forest a few miles away from here. Description roughly matches the missing person. The family's coming by tomorrow morning to verify it."

The house went silent. Okay, maybe it wasn't as blasé as I had originally thought.

"So it could be the same serial killer from Seattle?" Billy asked.

"No, I'm…pretty sure that guy was caught." Jacob was looking pointedly at Billy.

"A copycat?"

Jacob and Billy looked at Kathleen briefly before meeting each other's eyes again. I got the feeling they were having a conversation above but related to the spoken one. It was like they had some high speed, telepathic connection between them.

"Could be. Anyway, if the ID's positive, it'll be in the papers within a few days." Chief Swan said, flipping the page of the paper.

"Where was the body found?" Jacob asked.

"Close to Rialto Beach, I believe. Body was completely drained of blood, but the only wounds we could find were small and relatively clean. So was the site. All we can think is that the girl was killed elsewhere then dragged out here by some animal."

"Hmm," Billy considered. "Does anyone else know?"

Chief Swan shook his head. "We're trying to keep it relatively quiet."

"I told Sam when I read it," Jacob admitted. The chief nodded.

"That's fine. Sam's a good kid."

Kathleen slipped the fish into the batter and into the pan, where it sizzled deliciously. "Chief Swan, are you staying for dinner?"

"If you'll have me, I'd appreciate it. My house has become more and more quiet now that Bella went off and married that Cullen boy."

I saw Jacob freeze slightly.

"You have a daughter?"

"Yeah. A little younger than you, but older than Jacob. They fell in love in high school and got married soon after graduation." Chief Swan sounded a little guarded. Something made me think he didn't approve of his daughter's husband very much. Or maybe it was how young they got married.

"That's sweet," Kathleen smiled vaguely as she nudged the fish around. "Has she visited recently?"

"Not for a long while. I believe they moved further up north. She and him were thinking of going to college in Alaska. The rest of the family is gone too." Chief Swan looked at Kathleen with a smile. "You know, you kind of remind me of her."

Jacob huffed sharply, his face contorting into a snarl. He pushed past me and stormed upstairs. Chief Swan watched him go, confused.

"Was it something I said?"

"He's been a little weird lately," Billy said.

"I just meant they look a little similar and both were really good in the kitchen. Should I go apologize?"

"Don't worry about it. Here, the game's about to come on. Let's watch it while the fish finishes up. Joe, care to join us?"

"No, thanks. I'm not much of a sports guy."

Chief Swan rolled Billy over to the living room. Within minutes, the two were engrossed in basketball. I leaned across the counter, stealing a couple lemon slices and dodging Kathleen's hand slap.

"So Jacob has been acting a little weird lately…"

"Yeah. He goes from cheeky to psycho to completely cold and absent to constantly there." She fished another lemon out of the fridge and cut it into wedges. "Don't eat these."

"Yes ma'am." I saluted her. "Are you two officially dating yet?" She glared at me. Apparently not. "Well he is being painfully obvious on how much he likes you."

"I know." She flipped the fish pieces in the pan. "But…I don't know. He gets close then runs off. I know he's keeping something from me. Quil told me he wants to tell me but he can't. I just…" she trailed off then sighed heavily.

"You know, I don't miss high school drama and teenage romances at all." I grinned, dodging the batter spoon she chucked at me. "You're cleaning that up."

"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled, picking up a sponge. "I just…" Her voice lowered as her eyes flicked to the living room. "I know I've only known him for a little over a week, but he's coming on so strong. And it's like we have some sort of…connection. I feel like I've know him forever, but I can't shake the feeling that he's keeping something from me. Something big and…personal. And besides…" She bent down and scrubbed the bit of floor where the spoon had landed. "We're at completely different parts in our lives. I'm 22 and he's 18. I'm graduating college and he's graduating high school. I'm looking for the real deal and…well, I don't know what he's looking for because – "

"Because he's keeping a secret?" I finished. She nodded and placed the sponge and spoon in the sink. "Well, you know I'm not the biggest Jacob fan."

"You're not the biggest La Push fan," she corrected with a smile, checking on the fish.

"Very, very true. Honestly, who can stand this much rain and green and the perpetual mud? And I thought Seattle was bad." She cracked a smile. Good. "But I'd say talk to him."

"I've tried. Believe me I've tried. But anytime I ask him about it, he deflects. Course it has resulted in numerous interesting stories…"

"Ooh, yeah the werewolves." I made claws and made some stupid growling noise. She laughed quietly.

"Right. But he refuses to give me a straight answer. And what's more is he won't even try to explain why he won't tell me." She took the fish out and placed the pieces on paper towels.

"That's annoying." I went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of malt vinegar and carried it to the table. Kathleen followed with the bowel of lemon slices and the fish. "I'd still talk to him. Keep bugging him. He seems like he'd do anything for you. He's got that…puppy dog, clingy, dependent thing going for you. It's really cute…in a rip your hair out, annoying sort of way."

She smiled and hugged me briefly. "Thanks Joe."

"No problem. Now will you email Nessa back and tell her that I love her and want to sleep with her desperately?"

She smacked my shoulder. "You've told her that to her face numerous times. What makes you think one more is going to do the trick?"

"Eighty-fifth time's the charm."

...

A/N: Oh Joe. I do love you.

I have officially outlined this ENTIRE fic and it's looking pretty sweet. It'll be 25 chapters plus a 2 part epilogue. That is, if the characters don't intervene with their own ideas with how the story should go. That's how Joe got his chapter and it derailed me from my original plan by 3 chapters. However, I like where Joe took me. So Joe still rocks.

As always, kindly read and review. Every time I get a review, I get so pumped and inspired that I write like a half of a chapter. You do the math...;D


	11. Pillow Talk

A/N: Hello again, lovely readers! I couldn't find a description of Jacob's bedroom, even though I think I read one at some point. I tried to get my friend's copy of New Moon to see if it was in there, but that didn't happen. Therefore, I made up my own. All I remembered from the description I read was that there was a large bed. If this is completely against canon, tell me in a pm or review and I'll change it automatically.

Disclaimer: I own but Kathleen and Joe.

...

Chapter 11: Pillow Talk

Jacob never came down to eat. So while Chief Swan, who insisted that I call him Charlie, and Billy finished their fish in front of the T.V. and Joe finished up editing, I took a piece of fish up to Jacob. I was halfway up the stairs when I remembered his monstrous appetite. I ended up taking the rest of the fish and a gigantic glass of milk up to him.

His bedroom door was closed. I hesitated for a second then juggled the plate and glass so that I could knock quickly.

"Yeah?" He sounded tired.

"I bring fish and apologies."

A second later and the door cracked open. "You don't have to apologize," he said softly.

"But you'll take the fish, right?" He chuckled and took the plate and milk from me, gesturing for me to come in. The door couldn't more than three-quarters; it hit against the foot of the bed, which took up most of the tiny room. It was gigantic, easily queen-sized if not bigger. There were no blankets on the bed, just a rust coloured fitted sheet and a thin matching sheet that had been balled and kicked to the foot of the bed. A black pillow sat askew at the head of the bed. Under the window on the back wall sat a small desk covered in random schoolwork and books. There was another window, a smaller one on the side of the house; under this there was a dresser with half the drawers opened.

"Sorry for the mess," he said before sitting crosslegged on the small patch of open floor. "Are you eating?"

"I might steal a piece from you." I sat down beside him, leaning against the bed. "And it's Charlie who wanted to apologise." Jacob was quiet. "He said he only meant that Bella and I looked alike and both cooked well."

"It's fine," he grumbled taking a bite of fish. "It's in the past. She chose her path." He swallowed then offered me the plate. I slid the smallest piece onto the napkin and broke off a bite.

"Do you mind me asking what happened between you two?"

"Promise not to get jealous?" he winked. I snorted.

"Oh, it'll be hard, but I'll try."

"She was my first love. Well, crush I guess. We were completely alike. Kindred spirits. And I guess you two do kinda look alike. Dark hair. Pale skin. She's shorter than you though. With dark eyes." He looked at me for a long minute then sighed. "She was two years older than me."

The past tense struck me. "'Was'? Did she die?"

"Kinda," Jacob said cryptically. He shook his head. "I'll get back to that. Anyway, I thought she liked me too, but it turned out she…had a boyfriend." He paused again; I wondered if he was trying to decide whether or not to tell me something. "His name's Edward Cullen. Dad hates him. In fact, a lot of people on the Res hate the Cullens."

"Why?"

"Told you I'd get back to that later." He grinned. "Anyway, because Dad hates the Cullens, he didn't let me go see her much. Not even when she ran away."

"Sounds like she's got a flair for the dramatic," I commented, taking a bite of fish.

"Will you hush?" he pretended to be exasperated as he downed another piece of fish. "She came back. Dad still didn't really let me see her. Eventually I started to give up on her. She was happy with Edward and that's really all I wanted." He sighed heavily. "Then Edward and the rest of his family moved away."

He was looking hollowly forward, a trace of anger in his eyebrows. "Bella was completely heartbroken. She stopped eating. She stopped sleeping. She turned into a zombie. All because Edward left her. I hated him for making her so depressed. Months passed and she didn't snap out of it. Finally, one day she came over."

He paused for a second. "She did look like a zombie. But…she looked at me and she smiled. Her first smile in months. She was finally happy. It meant everything to me."

This was all making my stomach churn slightly, but I stayed quiet and listened all the same. It was important for Jacob to get this out. It would help build his trust in me.

"With Edward gone, we picked up right where we left off," he continued. "We clicked immediately and she began improving. She came over every day while I built her motorcycles."

"You have motorcycles!?" I burst. Jacob looked at me queerly.

"You ride?"

"Uh, yeah!" I was ecstatic. "My dad taught me. After I graduated high school, we took a road trip to the Rockies and camped and rode the mountain trails."

Jacob grinned. "I'll have to see if I can find them again." He looked off, a shade of some memory crossing his face. It seemed like a happy one; I was hesitant to interrupt but I wanted to hear the rest of the story.

"So she got better?"

"Yeah and I started falling for her again. Harder this time. I knew she wasn't ready but I'm a patient man; I could wait for her to be ready."

He grinned at me, his eyes reminding me of his father's: the knowing, mysterious look that had me dissecting his words, looking for a deeper meaning.

"We went on a sort of date. There was another guy along…Mike or Matt or something. He got sick and…we were finally alone. For the first time, I felt powerful and confident."

"But you've always been confident," I countered.

"Not back then. No, this was right when I started to…change. She admitted that she liked me, but she was still pining for Edward." His voice was getting quieter. "That killed me. It was the angriest moment of my life so far. I wanted to destroy Edward Cullen. Rip him to shreds. Pummel him into a pulp. My emotion scared me. I took her home. The rage was replaced with hope. It was going to work. She was falling in love with me. She was happy with me. She needed me. Then…I got sick."

He stopped. I waited for him to continue. He was looking at me strangely again. Did he expect me to continue the story for him? I racked my brain. There was no way I could guess what happened next.

"So, what?" I prompted. "You got sick and during that time, Edward came back and ruined your chances?"

He huffed, flaring his nostrils. He stood quickly and started pacing. I got worried. I was missing something.

"No…that's not what happened," I mused. He stopped and knelt down in front of me.

"Come on, Kathleen," he whispered softly. "I've given you all the pieces." His dark eyes looked steadily into mine. I wanted to squirm but I was completely transfixed.

"God, Jacob, why can't you just tell me?!" I managed to rip my gaze from his.

"Because I'm not allowed," he growled. He turned away and stood with his back to me. Several minutes passed. "In short, yes. I got sick and abandoned her as well. She tried to see me, but…I couldn't."

"What, you couldn't tell her either?" I huffed, still irritated that he didn't trust me. He turned and moved closer to me again, eyes lighting up.

"No. I couldn't." He took my hand again and squeezed it. "Don't you know why by now?"

"Because you're a stubborn ass who is incapable of giving a straight answer?" I snapped, pulling my hand out of his burning grasp.

"Bella figured it out. Why can't you?" he grumbled under his breath.

"I don't know, Jacob. Maybe you loved her more than you love me."

"No, I don't!" he yelled.

Wait.

Had I just used the l-word?

Had Jacob just implied that he loved me?

Was I leading him on again?

"Maybe I haven't given you enough information…"

"You think?" I bit sardonically. Jacob was quiet. I stood up; he was lying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling in what I could only guess was sadness and frustration. I bit the corner of my lip. Just because he wasn't making it easy for me didn't mean I had to give him a hard time. I sat cross-legged beside him on the bed. "So what did happen to Bella?"

"Exactly what you said. Eventually, Edward came back and he and Bella picked up right where they had left off. I got jealous. I still loved her. I thought she still loved me. I tried to sabotage their relationship. She got angry. I told her I loved her. She said she loved me too. I got hopeful. She said she loved me…but she loved Edward more. She loved me like a brother. We were kindred spirits but never meant to be together."

I hesitated then took his hand.

"She married him, didn't she?" I said softly, stroking his warm hand soothingly. "Edward was the high school sweetheart whom Bella married." Jacob nodded dully, still looking off to the side. I lied down beside him so I could look him in the eyes.

"I'm really sorry, Jacob."

He squeezed my hand and smiled. The smile was tender but bitter; it didn't reach his eyes like his normal smile. This Bella girl had really hurt him.

"It's okay. Like, I said. It's in the past. She chose her path…and I'm choosing mine."

An alarm went off in my head. Warning. Warning. I was getting too close to him. I let go of his hand and jumped off the bed. "Would it help to tell you I have a similar story?" I walked over to the back window and glanced out. The sun was starting to go down, casting the forest into deep shades of hunter and myrtle.

"Why, yes it would, Ms. Harken."

I smiled to myself before turning to face him. Time to coerce him to trust me by telling him a personal story. "Well, like you, it was my best guy friend. His name was Taylor. I had a crush on him basically from the first time I saw him in high school."

"What was he like?" Jacob interrupted.

"Erm, really musically talented. Tall. Good-humoured. Great listener. He was the only person I knew I could talk to about anything, knowing he wouldn't try to fix or give advice or spread gossip. Which is what I needed, considering my mind is…crazy."

"You're not crazy," Jacob scoffed.

"Oh, yes I am." I laughed. "I'm always making up stories and ignoring reality. Which is why I think I like it so much here. It's just far enough from everything so you can escape, but not so much that you feel cut off." I mused for a second before continuing. "But I digress. I crushed for like a year, then realized our relationship was more friend than romantic so I tried to move on. The next year, I find out that he's crushing on me."

"But you don't like him anymore?"

"Right, but there was that nagging little feeling that wondered, what if? What if I did date him? What if he was the one? We got along wonderfully after all. Why couldn't that translate into a relationship? But, of course, by the time I was back in love with him, he had given up on me and moved on to another girl, leaving me to reevaluate my feelings for him."

"You just kept missing each other."

"You know, I see how annoying the interrupting comments are now," I said sarcastically. He pulled a puppy dog pout. It was scary how natural and accurate it was. I caved and sat down opposite him on the bed.

"So what happened?" he prompted, now calm and serious.

"Exactly that. We kept missing each other. Around junior year, we gave up and remained close friends. We went off to different colleges and kinda lost contact."

"That's it? You haven't talked to him since?"

"No, I've talked to him." I grinned roguishly. "Last time I checked, he was wrestling with his sexuality."

Jacob's jaw dropped. "You mean he's…"

"Yep. I'm 90% sure my high school best friend and on/off crush is gay."

Jacob laughed uproariously, the first time he had really laughed with me since he had started ignoring me. I snickered slightly as well.

"Does Joe know about this?" Jacob managed between chuckles. "I mean, this is the type of thing he could tease you about forever."

"He does not and if you tell him, I will…kill you or something equally horrible," I threatened with a wide smile on my face. "I missed this."

"Missed what?"

"Talking. Joe's good for advice, but I can't really talk to him about anything personal." I considered the Quileute man-boy silently. "You kinda remind me of Taylor."

"Sorry, I'm not gay," Jacob shot. I punched him in the shoulder and rolled my eyes. He chuckled. "But seriously. I'm here for you any time you need. For anything. Questions, stories, or just comfort." He grinned cheekily and drew me in close. "And I'm real good at the comfort," he murmured in my ear.

The alarm went off again. Danger. Danger. Too close. Too close.

I could feel my face growing warm. Then again, that could have been from the heat radiating off him. I shivered, resisting the urge to bury my head in the warm crook of his neck. Luckily, there was a knock at the door. I jumped away from him as the door swung open hesitantly. Joe poked his head around, frowning

"Why doesn't this open more?" he muttered. He kicked the door a few times.

"Yes?" Jacob asked. I fancied he was slightly irritated at the interruption. Joe looked up and his face cracked into a smile.

"Your dad and Charlie were wondering if there was any fish left," Joe said.

"Um, yeah I think I left a piece." Jacob left my side and looked down at the plate still on the floor. Indeed, there was a piece and a half left not including my picked at portion on the napkin. Jacob picked up both. "Are you going to eat the rest of yours?"

"Um," I contemplated. I broke off about a quarter and popped it in my mouth. "I'm done."

Jacob's face split into a grin and he stuffed the rest of my piece in his mouth, followed quickly by the half eaten piece on the plate. "Delicious," he said after swallowing down the rest of the milk. "Here, I'll take it down to them. I should probably apologize for storming off earlier anyway." He winked at me and went out the door. I watched him go. A sigh escaped my lips. I really had missed him, even though it had only been slightly more than 24 hours that he had ignored me. I fully planned on taking him up on his offer. I really did need to find another confidant besides the radically honest Joe.

Speaking of the curly haired boy, he stepped in, a knowing smile spread over his thin face.

"You…hussy." I chucked Jacob's pillow at him, grinning. I hadn't been this happy in days.

...

A/N: So now we see Jacob REALLY start putting the plan into action. The next two chapters I'm really pleased with. Unfortunately, I've only written that far. If I don't get any writing done this weekend, we might be looking at another hiatus. There's a bunch that's happening in my personal life (cause, SURPRISE, i do have one!) and Chapter 14 is not coming easy. So we'll see...

Happy 4th of July to my fellow Americans. Let's go blow shit up in the name of independence! You could also leave a review. That'd be cool.


	12. Last Chance

A/N: I'm dead tired so I'm not bothering to edit any further. Sorry for any typos; I'll fix them later.

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

...

Chapter 12: Last Chance

I slammed the back door. It was late. I was angry. No doubt everyone was asleep.

Someone snorted in the living room, followed a few seconds later by snores.

Joe.

I rolled my eyes as I yanked open the fridge, the little light casting the dark room in its uncharacteristically bright glare. I grabbed various elements for a sandwich and closed the fridge quickly. My eyes adjusted quickly to the moonlight as I piled meat onto bread. My mind started to wander.

I had had a patrol shift after dinner. Brady had been on as well. He was still apologising. Though I was glad he was aware of his errors in the forest, he tended to dwell and replay the situation in his mind. It was as if my name and presence was now intertwined with Kathleen.

I grinned. Okay, that was true, what with the whole imprinting thing. But whenever his mind drifted to me, he automatically recalled the attack and the leech. Eventually he would remember that he was in wolf form and that I could read and see his thoughts as if they were my own. He'd apologise again. I'd forgive him only to have the process repeat a few minutes later. It was grueling. I had to watch her be terrified of seeing Brady as a wolf. I had to watch her be relieved at the sight of the leech. Over. And over. And over.

I had therefore been more than relieved when Seth replaced Brady.

_What's got your nose bent out of shape?_ he had asked.

_Brady. He keeps trying to apologise for the run in with the leech. _Of course, that had made me relive the visions Brady had sent me. Seth apologized, then apologized for apologizing, then apologized on top of that until I yelled at him to stop.

_When am I going to meet Kathleen?_

_Soon. _

That had set off my thoughts on her. Seth listened carefully as I remembered the stories I had told her in the week since the pack meeting. I had told her about Utlapa's usurpation of Taha Aki's chieftainship. I had told her about how Taha Aki's spirit had convinced the Great Wolf to allow him to share the animal's physical body so that he could defeat Utlapa. I had told her about Kaheleha, the powerful Spirit Chief who led his spirit army to fight the intruders. I replayed the conversation I had had with her over dinner. I had told her about Bella, about Edward, about me changing and getting sick and having to keep secrets from her. I hinted at everything I could, trying to get her to guess the rest.

_Did she get it?_ I had forgotten about Seth.

_No. I think she might be close though. _

_I should say so._ Sam's voice had been low and dangerous. The echo of it in my mind still made me shudder. He had shown up in front of me, ready to relieve me and take the overnight shift. His black fir was bristling angrily, his incisors glinting in the moonlight. He was angry.

_Didn't I tell you not to tell her?_ He growled.

_I haven't told her._ And I hadn't. Sam didn't feel like arguing semantics.

_You give me no choice, Jacob_. His Alpha voice. Shit. _You will not tell her you're a werewolf or a shapeshifter or what every you want to call it. You will not tell anyone else to tell her that you are a werewolf or a shapeshifter or any other creature that hints at your abilities. You will not reveal any other pack member's identities or abilities to her. You will not tell her anything else about Bella, Edward, or the rest of the Cullens. You will not break the treaty_.

Another injunction.

I had shifted back automatically, not bothering to find my pants first. I snuck around the forest naked for a few minutes before finding the cut offs I had left in a bush, thinking to myself. Stupid pack connection. Now Sam knew I was challenging him and his order. He was trying to make me stop. He was trying to make me fall in line like the rest of the pack.

Well the rest of the pack didn't have their imprints practically rejected simply because they weren't connected to the tribe by blood.

I wolfed dowm my monstrous sandwich quickly and went upstairs. I considered bugging the sleeping Joe again, but I had more pressing matters on my mind. Pranking would have to wait for once.

I paced a circle around my room; it was too small to pace in a line. I had to think. I had to rationalize. I couldn't tell her straight out. The damn injunction wouldn't let me. I hadn't been able to tell her why exactly Bella and I had drifted apart. I couldn't explain that Edward was a vampire and when he married Bella, she probably became one. She was as good as dead. I hadn't lied about that. But I hadn't told the truth either.

I couldn't break the treaty. I couldn't break the injunction. I couldn't tell her much more than I already had. I was already pushing my boundaries.

I groaned. There was a way around this. There had to be. I had weaseled my way around Sam's words before; I could do it again. My eyes drifted to the wall I shared with her. My ears twitched; I couldn't hear anything. _She's probably asleep_, I concluded before starting to pace in the opposite direction.

No werewolves. No shapeshifters. No Cullens. No treaty. I repeated the mantra in my mind over and over, searching for the loophole. What did the treaty say? The leeches stayed off our land and we didn't reveal their secret. Well, there was a leech on our land so wasn't the treaty already broken? I shook my head. The vampires were the treaty breakers, the lawbreakers. They were the evil ones. I was above that. No. There was some other way.

No werewolves. No shapeshifters. No Cullens. No…treaty. We wouldn't reveal them to the pale-faces, to people outside the tribe. She was outside the tribe.

Or was she?

She was my imprint. She was my soul mate. Didn't that make her part of the tribe? Dad had certainly accepted her. Old Quil had seemed rather fond of her. Two tribe elders approved of her. Certainly that qualified her. And if I was forbidden from talking about the Cullens, then I couldn't reveal their secret. That didn't mean I couldn't tell her about vampires. I just couldn't say the Cullens were vampires.

It sounded plausible. I grinned. Maybe Sam would finally realize that he couldn't control me.

…

About an hour later, I had thoroughly convinced myself that my reasoning was valid and adhered to Sam's injunction. It was time.

I knocked on Kathleen's door, still repeating my concocted story.

No answer.

I knocked again, a little louder.

Nothing.

She must be asleep. I considered going back and waiting until morning. Then again, if I waited, that would give Sam time to possible revise his injunction. He could restrict me further. Also, talking to her now ensured privacy. This was something only she could know.

I inhaled deeply and opened the door.

My ears pricked up to the sounds of deep breathing. I walked toward her bed silently. She was curled up in a ball, the blankets pulled up under her chin. Her face was clear of emotion. I knelt down and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Kathleen," I whispered. Her eyebrows twitched together and she burrowed further under the blankets, tucking her nose in. I smiled and shook her lightly. "Kathleen."

"Mmm," she groaned, frowning. Slowly, her eyes opened. "Jake?" The nickname automatically made me think of Bella. I lost heart slightly. What if Kathleen could only ever love me the way Bella did.

Impossible. She was my imprint. She had to love me. I'd die otherwise.

"What time's it?"

"About 2." I smiled guiltily.

"In the morning?" She grasped for her cell phone. The bright screen verified what I had said. She slumped back down and rolled over, pulling the covers up to her ears. She wasn't getting away that easy.

"Kathleen, seriously. We need to talk."

"Can't this wait until morning?" I heard her voice fading.

"Technically, it is morning," I tried to joke. She didn't appreciate it. "No, it can't wait." I rocked her shoulder more forcefully until she propped herself up on her elbows and looked me in the eye.

"All right, I'm up. What's so important?"

"I realized I never finished my story." I tried to make my voice enticing. She looked at me blankly.

"I'm a little old for a bedtime story." She was about to lie back down. I crawled onto the bed next to her and held her shoulder, forcing her to stay upright.

"Come on," I smiled at her. "You've been bugging me about my secret. Have you given up?"

"Yes, Jacob. I give up," she muttered, trying to shove my hand off. I put my other hand on her shoulder, shaking her, trying to keep her up. "Jacob, quit! God, why are all the Quileute men so freaking cryptic?"

Because Sam's an ass.

I let her shrug me off and leaned against the wall.

"Trust me, this story will help you."

That got her. She scooted beside me, still wrapped in blankets. "All right, lay it on me Jacobim."

It was my last chance; I decided to take it slow. "Okay, so you know most of the old Quileute legends. All the stories about our origins?"

"Mmm, yeah. Taha Aki. Spirit warriors. Utlapa. The Great Wolf. Kaheleha. Wolves are our sacred friends."

I laughed quietly. "Right. Let's talk about Taha Aki for a second. Remember his power?"

"W-W-Wolf man," she yawned. I nudged her.

"Do you remember how he got like that?"

"Fought Utlapa. The Great Wolf shares his spirit with Taha Aki to defeat him. Taha keeps the ability afterwards and can…shift between human and wolf forms."

"Very good." This was starting out well. "So Taha Aki got his powers when his tribe was in trouble. When he had children, his children inherited his gifts. According to legend, all descendents of Taha Aki inherited his abilities. Understand?"

"Mmm-hmm." She was starting to nod off. I touched her cheek and tilted her head toward me.

"You need to stay awake. We're getting into the story now," I said. I took her hand and another deep breath. "Ok, so we've established that you know the legends of the Quileutes. What you don't know are the legends of the cold ones."

"Cold ones?"

"Vampires. Blood suckers. Leeches. They're the wolf shapeshifter's only natural enemy. If one comes into the territory of a Taha Aki descendant, the descendant's dormant powers become active. They will become a shapeshifter. Understand?"

"Like Underworld," she mumbled.

"What?"

She was starting to drop off again. "The…werewolves and vampires. Fighting. Constantly. Natural enemies."

"Not werewolves. Shapeshifters." I squeezed her hand. "Like werewolves, but they can change anytime they want, not just when there's a full moon. Their powers come from inheritance, not from bites."

"Right, right," she sighed. "I was just saying it's similar." She rested her head sleepily on my shoulder.

"I guess." We could argue the differences between the beasts and me later. "Listen carefully. I'm almost done."

"Good."

"Years ago, some of the vampires settled near here. This pack promised they were civilized, that they lived differently than the rest of their kind so that they weren't dangerous to our tribe or any other humans. The descendants of Taha Aki, one of which was Chief," I nudged her head on this, making her raise her head sleepily. "The chief drew a treaty. As long as the leeches stayed off our land, he wouldn't reveal their identity. Have you got it so far?"

"Leeches. Weren't dangerous. Treaty between them and the chief," she said blearily.

"And the chief was…?"

"Descendant of Taha."

Close enough.

"Good. Now this is very important." I stroked her knuckle gently, staring at the wall. "There will always be a risk for humans when the cold ones are around, even if they're supposedly civilized. Therefore, the descendants of Taha Aki…the descendants of the chief…gained powers. Kathleen…"

She tilted her head toward me to signal that she was listening. Her eyes were nearly closed.

"You can't have one without the other," I said slowly and clearly. "Where there's vampires, there will always be shapeshifters. And the shapeshifters are always Quileute. The powers stay in the family: the family that descended from Taha Aki, the original shapeshifter."

I stopped talking. Kathleen was breathing deeply again. I looked down; she had fallen back asleep, leaned against me with her head on my shoulder. I sighed. Hopefully she had gotten everything. Hopefully, she'd put all the pieces together soon. In the meantime, I had to either skive off of patrols or insist that I patrol alone or only with Quil or Embry, who in turn only patrolled with me. Anyone else would betray me to Sam.

I settled back against the wall, trying to get comfortable. I couldn't bring myself to wake her up again. She shifted closer to me with a little sigh. I put a protective arm around her, holding her hand with the other. At least she wanted to be with me for now.

...

A/N: Review please. Thanks tons.


	13. Cliffs

A/N: Not going to lie. I like this chapter. And it's nice and long to make up for the super short one that preceded it. Please enjoy.

I haven't done a dedication in a long time, so I'm going to dedicate this to **princesaangelbebe**, who has been tearing her hair out trying to figure out who the mysterious guy in the forest is. Here you go love! Hope you're not disappointed!

Disclaimer: I own that which is not recognizable.

...

Chapter 13: Cliffs

My eyes fluttered open. The room was at a weird angle: upside down and off kilter. I frowned and closed my eyes. Maybe if I opened them again, the room would get better.

Nope.

I tried to move.

Pain. Restriction.

My brain kicked on slowly. Jacob had woken me up in the middle of the night. The details were muddy; I could barely remember the story ending. Last time I had been fully functioning, I had been sitting up against the wall with Jacob next to me. Now, there was no Jacob. At some point between the story and now, I had gone from sitting cross-legged and upright to crashing on my side, completely entangled in blankets, my head nearly upside down and my neck folded painfully under.

Also, at some point, someone had put a post-it on my arm.

I slowly tried to reverse my contorted body and wrestle out of the blankets. My body popped disgustingly and I discovered more than a few cricks and knots in my neck and lower back. Finally, I could sit up and rip the piece of paper from my arm.

_**Look in the shed.**_

Grumbling at the Quileute's apparent love for riddles and at the grey sunlight, I pulled on a fresh tank top and a pair of jeans. I fished out my old motorcycle boots, remembering that the ground would still be muddy from yesterday's tempest. I bumbled down the stairs. Joe turned his head and frowned at me.

"Did you just get up?"

I nodded quietly, still waiting for the last bits of sleep hangover to fade away.

"It's like, eleven."

"Oh." I hadn't slept in this late in a while. "I was woken up in the middle of the night."

"By?"

"Jacob."

Joe snorted as he returned his attention to the TV. "Late night booty call?"

"Shut up."

"Slut."

I ignored him and went outside. It was a typical overcast day. I picked my way across the muddy front lawn to Jacob's shed. I knew he wasn't there. It was midday and midweek; normal people were in school. At some point, Jacob had moved the bags full of car parts into the shed. Currently, they were gathered around the front wheel. Some empty bags and boxes had been thrown and collected against the wall. Obviously, he had gotten some work done at some point. I peeked under the open hood; I couldn't see any difference. Then again, I didn't know what a normal car looked like under the hood so there was no frame of reference.

My eyes slid to the left.

A pure vision. A Sprint.

I walked up to it reverently. I ran my fingers up the fork and across the handlebars, gripping them familiarly. The Harley Davidson signature scrawled in the middle of a white side splotch on the otherwise jet black fairing. My eyes caught a small post-it note on the black seat. I picked it up.

_**Have fun. Be safe. Stay on the Res.**_

That was all it took. I ran out of the shed and across the yard, pausing only to wipe my feet before wrenching open the front door and charging upstairs to my bedroom.

Motorcycle jacket.

It was at the bottom of my suitcase. I slipped it on and zipped it up to the neck. Then checked to make sure my jean cuffs were tucked into my boots. They were.

Sunglasses.

I ran to my bag on the desk. Again, the glasses were at the bottom; there wasn't much need for them in La Push, but I needed them to keep my eyes from watering. I considered the camera bag for a second before slinging over my head and onto my shoulder. Maybe I'd find something interesting.

I ran down the stairs. Joe was waiting. He regaled my outfit change with a confused look.

"Where are you going all tough and leathery?" Joe asked.

"Jacob said I could ride his motorcycle!" I said excitedly, slipping on my sunglasses.

"He did?"

"Well, he left a note…"

"Mmm-hmm. You going into Forks?"

I shrugged. "Maybe. Wanna come along?"

"Not if you're driving." He turned back around to face the TV. "One, you're a crazy enough driver in the Bus. I'd hate to see what you do on a bike." I grinned; I did plan on letting the throttle out pretty far. "Two, the most humiliating thing for a man is to be on the back of a bike. Especially if a girl is driving."

"Suit yourself."

I jogged back to the shed, quickly finding a helmet on a nearby shelf. I strapped it on before turning to the bike once more. I was itching to get back on the road. Nudging the kickstand up with my toe, I wheeled it out to the driveway and swung my leg over. It was like muscle memory: I flipped on the fuel, the ignition, and clamped down hard on the choke. In one swift motion, I kick started the engine.

The machine roared to life, making my heart lurch in happiness. I opened the throttle, my smile growing wider as the bike roared louder. I kicked the gearshift into first and rested my left foot on the peg. I revved the throttle more, letting the adrenaline and anticipation build. I couldn't take it anymore. I eased off the clutch and my feet left the ground. I was flying. I weaved down the driveway and down the dirt road, rolling my neck to try to work out the night's kinks. I kicked the bike into second and slalomed lazily down the abandoned lane, getting the feel for the bike. I passed the beach slowly, looking out at the water. My eyes flitted to the cliffs. I could just make out a road winding up them.

Perfect.

I gunned the engine, flipping through the gears like pages in a book as I soared toward the cliffs. Soon, I was climbing in altitude. Adrenaline pumped through me. I opened the throttle further, deafening myself with the whistling wind. The first curve opened up in front of me. I took it sweepingly wide, leaning dangerous far into it. I came out in one piece, whooping in delight.

My mind went blank, concentrating on the road and not falling off. Within half an hour, I had reached the top of the cliffs. There was a little turn off onto an outcropping, which I pulled into and turned off the bike. I unclipped my helmet and slipped it over the handlebars. Adjusting my camera bag on my shoulder, I hiked up the rest of the road to the flat plateau.

The view was fantastic. I pushed up my glasses to get a better look. Everything was miniscule. I could see the treetops of the expansive forest stretching almost to the horizon. My heart was still pounding from adrenaline, my cheeks flushed from the excess blood and the wind. My hand grasped for my camera and I automatically started taking picture after picture.

"Breathtaking, isn't it?"

I whipped around. It was the red-eyed man. My heart skipped a few beats and fainted into my stomach. He glided across the cliff toward me. I stood frozen in place, staring as he came closer.

He was insanely beautiful. Gorgeous even. Like someone had ripped out a perfectly airbrushed page from a fashion magazine and made it come to life. No, that wasn't right; his physicality was superhuman, otherworldly. His features were too angular, his jawline too strong and moulded, his cheekbones too high, his lips too full and too perfectly pink.

Had he been around in the Renaissance, he undoubtedly would have been the muse of one of the great painters. He would have been an Apollo or an Ares, surrounded and doted on by equally beautiful Aphrodites. He would have been Cupid, beloved by the mortal Psyche. Indeed, he looked like a fallen god with his wrinkled and muddy clothes. His ivory magnolia skin was cleaner than before, stretched over long, lanky muscle and veritably glistening in the sunlight struggling to peek through the grey clouds. His hair was shaggy, possessing an almost blue-black sheen in the light. It fell unevenly to his chin, dipping in front of his red eyes.

The eyes had changed. They weren't burgundy anymore. They were bright scarlet.

I realized I wasn't breathing.

"W-What?" I gasped. He smiled charmingly, revealing a set of perfect ivory teeth, only slightly whiter than his translucent skin. His gaze was still on the expansive landscape. My gaze was still on him.

"You know you never thanked me for saving your life from that mongrel." His voice was velvety smooth, like a clarinet playing a low melody. It seemed unreal, adding to the dreamlike, out of body feeling that was coming over me. It continued: "I'm only sorry I couldn't finish him off. Why did you run?"

"I – " I was still transfixed by those eyes. What had made them change? He seemed less threatening now, though his presence still had me set on edge. I realized I hadn't finished my sentence. "I thought you could handle it."

He chuckled. The rumble of it sent chills down my spine, clouding my mind. "You smell different."

"Hmm?" I managed to tear my eyes away as he turned his head.

"I could barely smell you in the forest either. The mutt overpowered you. But now…" His nose twitched. "You smell like them."

He moved in closer. I took a reactionary step back, looking at him again. He was still looking at me. Our eyes met for the first time. He frowned.

"Why are your eyes blue?"

"Why are yours red?" I blurted mindlessly.

He moved impossibly fast. Something stung me. My neck went searing cold, the sensation spreading from neck to my collarbone to my jaw to my ear. There was a pressure against my carotid artery. I panicked. My heartbeat picked up. The pressure intensified; I could feel the artery pulsating against it.

An ominous chuckle brought me back. I hadn't been stung. The man had closed the gap between us and his hand was currently on my neck, causing the pressure and the icy feeling.

"Oh, this is good." His voice had changed; the clarinet was straying off into minor keys and climbing in intensity. "This changes things. A pity I've already eaten." He inhaled deeply. "Mmm, yes. I can smell you now. On second thought, maybe you should thank the mutt for masking your scent. I had been hungry in the forest; I should have taken you then."

I shivered and stepped away from him, getting closer to the ledge. My eyes flicked to the road. It was too far and he was too fast. Could I jump from here to the road below? Sure I might break a leg, but was it worth it? Should I risk it all and leap for the ocean? At this height, I would be like hitting concrete, but at least then I could swim away. That is, if I survived the impact.

I took a step toward the road, trying to make it seem like I was getting away from the ledge. He countered me, blocking my path.

"Don't worry, little girl," his voice turned soothing. "I'm not going to hurt you. Yet."

I bristled. "Don't call me little girl." My voice sounded strangely strong. He laughed again, flashing those glistening teeth once more.

"What would you prefer? You still haven't told me your name, little one," he purred. My heart fluttered annoyingly at the sound, but my brain was still indignant at his condescension.

"Why would I tell you my name when I have no idea who you are?" I snapped. _Or what you are. _Because I was pretty sure he wasn't human by now.

"I'm Randall. I was looking for the Cullens. I'm sure you don't know them."

"I know of them. A little. Bella and Edward," I stammered. If I could keep his attention off me, maybe I could sneak off.

"So the child knows about the Cullens. Did the pups teach you?" he sneered. "I heard Bella had hung around the pups as well before she turned."

"I heard they moved," I lilted.

"I know they did," Randall smirked. "I also heard that Bella misses her father. They were thinking of coming back down here."

"Oh."

_Brilliant comeback, Kathleen._

"Peter and Charlotte are dying to see Jasper again. Well not dying…" He grinned at some private joke or thought. I took his momentary distraction as a chance to shuffle another step closer to the road. He must have noticed because I heard him growl.

But for some reason, the growl was coming from my side. I looked up. No, he was still in front of me, still smirking. But the smirk was starting to fall. His gaze flitted to the road. As did mine. Then I realized that it wasn't him who was growling after all.

A great russet wolf was standing about five feet away. It was big, bigger than both the light brown wolf from the forest and the dark grey wolf from Jacob's backyard. It was fiercer too, but for some reason, I wasn't scared. Probably because the red eyed man's attention was focused on the wolf instead of me for once.

"I was beginning to wonder when we'd see one of you," he murmured. He wasn't scared in the least; he seemed to find the whole thing almost amusing.

The wolf, however, was far from amused. Its ears were erect, its red-brown fur standing straight up on its arched back. He stalked forward slowly, his lips curled back in a ferocious snarl. Its dark eyes were completely focused on the man's; both seemed to have forgotten me.

I stepped closer to the road, keeping my eyes on the wolf as I went. The wolf must have heard me. It looked at me with dark brown eyes. With that one look, my mind left the cliffs. Jacob Black flashed before my eyes. I saw him the day he first tried to kiss me at the beach. He was angry. I saw him from yesterday in his room. He was pleading. I saw him talking about Bella. He was sad. Jacob was replaced with Quil laughing in the shed. Quil was replaced by Embry comforting me after the first time I saw Randall.

Finally my life was flashing before my eyes like it hadn't in the forest. But why was it only playing scenes from La Push? Where was my family? Where was Joe and Nessa? Where was everything else?

My mind returned. The wolf was now between Randall and me. Its behemoth size came into reality; its shoulders came nearly to my shoulders. Randall seemed a little more on edge as well as he looked from me to the wolf. The wolf snarled louder, crouching, ready to spring. I took another step toward the road. The wolf's ear tilted toward me, listening.

Randall chuckled lowly. "The last pup I encountered wasn't as protective as you. In fact, I seem to remember him trying to kill her." He nodded to me with a smile. How had I ever thought it was charming? The wolf snarled and lashed out at him. He jumped back toward the ledge, his heels dangling over the edge. I saw him start to lose his balance as the ground below him crumbled. The wolf crouched down again, readying for another pounce. Fear crossed Randall's perfect face as he tried to back further away. More of the earth fell into the ocean. He was about to fall.

I couldn't help it. I screamed.

The wolf turned at the sound, its eyes softening slightly. Jacob, Quil, and Embry flashed before my eyes again. The day in the shed. The picture I had taken of the three of them.

The wind whistled over the water, blowing my hair back. The wolf sniffed and turned back quickly.

Randall was gone.

I ran to the edge, kneeling down and peering over to the ocean. He had jumped. I saw his pale body glinting in the sunlight before it disappeared into the choppy waves. My heartbeat returned, beating double-time as if to make up for the time it had been dead in my stomach. My lungs were also burning from disuse. I gave a gasp of disbelief that bubbled into delirious giggles. I collapsed to the ground and closed my eyes, reveling in the numbness that came with adrenaline washout.

I heard a whine. Something nudged my side. I opened my eyes and jumped. The wolf was staring at me, its soft brown eyes glowing in what I could only guess was worry. I was reminded of my dogs back home.

At least I guess that's what made me reach out and pet the wild animal that had just made a man jump to his probable death.

I felt the wolf freeze for a second under my touch then relax. Through half open eyes, I saw the wolf's tail drop slowly. I tried to smooth his warm, bristled fur. My hand moved from its flanks to its ear, scratching it the way I knew my dogs loved. The wolf seemed to like it as well; he leaned his head into my hand and his tail gave a little wag.

I sat up slowly, moving my hand to the scruff of his neck. The wolf backed up a little and gave a bark. His tail perked up, wagging faster now. The sight made me laugh. Here was a wild animal acting like the most domesticated dog I had ever met. His tongue lolled out of his mouth and he bowed, wagging his rear. I crawled closer and he jumped away, giving a bark-howl.

"You aren't wild and mean in the least, are you?" He rolled over onto his back and batted my hand with his great paw. I scratched his belly as he panted in happiness. His warmth felt good on my freezing hands. "Yeah, you're just a big softie."

He snorted and jumped up, towering over me. My heart skipped a beat.

"Ok, ok, you're ferocious and scary." I stood and brushed my jeans off. "What d'you say we go find my motorcycle?"

The wolf tilted his head curiously. If could have, he would have raised an eyebrow.

"What, you don't believe I can ride a motorcycle? I'll have you know I'm quite adept." I couldn't believe it; I was talking to a wolf about cars. I really was insane. I walked slowly toward the road. The wolf trotted beside me, its tail tensed and straight.

A wolf bodyguard was escorting me to my bike. Awesome.

We reached the Harley in no time. The wolf dropped to its haunches as I swung my leg over the bike. I zipped up the jacket and stared at the creature.

"So yeah…um, thanks for saving my life or whatever. And I guess thanks for not killing that guy?" The wolf growled. "Or not killing him in front of me? I didn't mean to scare you with the scream, but I mean put yourself in my shoes: creepy red-eyed man and radioactively large wolf having a stand off inches away from you? You'd scream too." I paused. "You know, if wolves screamed."

I swore the wolf smiled.

"No, you're too macho to scream," I rolled my eyes. "You're a gigantic, hulking, he-wolf, not some weak damsel in distress stupidly cornered miles above ground," I muttered. "You are male, right?"

His tail wagged. Affirmative, I guessed.

"Nice to know. Well, thanks again, Señor Wolf." I flipped on the fuel and ignition, getting ready to leave.

The wolf stood up and leapt toward me. I tensed, clamping down on both the clutch and the brake as I did. Was he going to push me off the outcropping, motorcycle and all? Was I about to meet the same fate as Randall? Did I know too much and now I had to die?

He stopped just short of the bike. His great snout reached out. I shrank away, knowing that mouth held teeth bigger than my hand. He tapped the helmet hanging from the handlebars.

The wolf was telling me to be safe.

"Oh, right." My voice shook audibly. I jammed the helmet on my head and slid on my sunglasses with trembling hands. The wolf stepped back and sat down again. I shook my hands out, trying to steady them. I squeezed the clutch shut again and kick started the engine. The wolf watched me do all this with a sharp eye.

"Bye," I had to shout over the roar of the engine. The wolf wagged his tail and nodded. Freaking nodded. I shifted into first, opened the throttle, and pulled onto the road. I glanced behind me before opening the throttle further; the wolf had stood and was watching me as I drove off. My mind flashed away from the cliffs yet again. I remembered the wolf that had sat at the edge of the forest watching me. I shook my head and looked back at the road as the first curve opened up.

My camera bag slapped me in the side. I had found something interesting after all. Two things.

And I hadn't taken a picture of either. Dammit.

…

A/N: Um, so. You know how I told you guys that this was going to be a 25 chapter fic? Um, yeah. It's going to be longer. This is partially because I was looking at my outline and was like 'Oh shit, we're getting too close to the end and I'm not ready to let go!' Also because I FINALLY got Chapter 14 done (I'm not super happy with where it is, but I'm fixing it!) and have moved on through Chapter 16. Now Chapter 16 is causing issues, but they are good issues. Basically, Chapter 16 refuses to be concise. Basically, both Kathleen and Jacob are fighting to get their POVs in on what's happening around Chapter 16. Basically…Chapter 16 is probably going to morph into three or four chapters so Kathleen and Jacob can get their many words in and do justice to what is happening around Chapter 16.

Moral: I've spent like 15 chapters building up to this moment and one or two chapters isn't going to cut it like I thought it would. I can't pull a (famous author's name withheld) and build and build and build to this climax to produce a subpar product. It just isn't fair to you, dear readers.

Moral of the Moral: We're looking at around 30 chapters, people. Buckle up, cause I'm not done drawing this sucker out.

Please review. It brightens my day.


	14. Murphy's Law

A/N: I posted this on my profile, but I'm desperate so I'm posting here too.

You ever read an amazing bit of fanfiction? Like MINDBLOWINGLY amazing? You ever forget to bookmark it or favourite it? Well that happened to me. I never finished the story and I'd REALLY REALLY like to. I'm begging you wonderful readers of Twilight fanfiction to rally and help me find it.

The premise of it was that a girl who goes into the Twilight books and sticks around to make sure everything goes to plan. I can't remember if she's stuck in the books or not, but she has the books with her. She befriends Jasper and helps him control his vampire instincts so he can be around Bella. She becomes close to the werewolves and the pack tries to get the books from her so they can watch the Cullens. Paul falls in love with the OC or imprints, I can't remember. The story is rather long, going through the entire series (or at least through Eclipse), but I've only read through the New Moon chapters because, at the time, that's as far as I had read in the series.

I have more details on the story that I can provide, but this A/N is long enough as it is. If anyone knows what I'm talking about or could do me a HUGE SOLID and help me search, PLEASE drop me a message in some shape or form. I would be FOREVER grateful and would be indebted to you for quite a long time.

Anyway, on with the story. I dedicate this chapter to **Fye Kurokawa**, my amazing new beta who patiently read through my several drafts of this chapter, of which I was quite nervous about.

Disclaimer: I own Kathleen, Joe, and Nessa. Everything else is copyrighted and thus not mine.

…

Chapter 14: Murphy's Law

I raced into the English classroom five minutes late, slightly breathless, and grinning madly. The teacher looked up from his ratty novel. He didn't say anything about my tardiness; no one ever did. All the adults knew about the pack. What were a few missed days here and there in the name of safety? He quietly tossed me a copy of the book. I caught it and made my way to my usual seat in the back of the classroom.

Embry was looking at me curiously. I smiled at him as I opened the book. The teacher's voice echoed dully in my ears and my eyes couldn't make sense of the type on the pages.

She knew.

She had to know.

My cheeks were starting to hurt from my grin. She had seen the leech. She had seen me. She had almost seen me kill the leech. She had distracted me from murdering that monster, but I remember thinking that it was better that way. If Kathleen had witnessed me ripping Randall to shreds without knowing why it had to be done, it probably would have scarred her for life.

Instead it jumped. Not to its death, like Kathleen probably thought. I knew better. I had vowed to go after it once I made sure Kathleen got back home. However, by the time Kathleen had safely ridden down the cliffs, the leech was gone. Disappeared.

Embry kicked me sharply. I had started growling. Several kids were turning around curiously. I bent over the novel and waited for them all to face back around.

I'd get it later. The important thing was that she knew.

I glanced at the clock at the front of the classroom. Time was passing impossibly slow. The teacher was prattling on about nonsense. He kept saying the same words over and over: Eustacia and Reddleman and Clym and Thomasin. I guessed they were characters. I didn't really care. All I wanted was to get out of this pointless class and get back home.

Kathleen had to be completely beside herself with confusion. Bella had taken it pretty well, but she had known about vampires for ages beforehand. Kathleen found out about both simultaneously; it had to be worse that way.

But then again, she hadn't immediately figured it out. She hadn't called me by name. She had called the leech 'red-eyed man'. The little bit of their conversation that I had heard had been incredibly civil. Neither had said that one of them was a leech, though he had talked about Bella and her turning.

My heart clenched. Bella was now a vampire herself. I knew she wanted to and that she planned to, however, there was always a part of me that hoped she would stay mortal. Not because I still wanted to be with her, but because the Cullens were blood sucking monsters. I didn't want Bella to become that; she was too sweet and nice.

And now she and the Cullens wanted to come back to Forks. My face finally fell out of its smile. Sam would not be happy about that new development. The pack was already massive; if the Cullens came back with a newly changed Bella, immature pups making stupid mistakes would outnumber the seasoned members.

The bell rang. I jumped out of my seat. I darted out of the door, barely hearing Embry's voice. I didn't want to talk to him right now. The faster I got to science, my last class, the faster I could get home.

Embry caught my elbow outside of the classroom. I whipped around, wrenching myself out of my thoughts.

"What's up?" he muttered. "I know you went home to check on Kathleen. What made you late?"

There were too many people around to go into too much detail.

"She knows," I muttered.

Embry's eyes went wide.

"You told her?"

I shook my head, the grin threatening to split my face in two again.

"Then how…?"

"I'll explain later." I ducked into the science room just after the teacher and took my normal seat at the last lab table.

Science took even longer. Luckily, it was just a lecture class. Then again, a lecture allowed my mind to wander. I dwelled on the cliffs. I pictured Kathleen pacing around the house, frantic, terrified, and confused. It was all so vivid that I could hear her voice hilted with tears. I could smell the aspartame scent of the vampire. I looked up to see Paul falling asleep by the window. I breathed a sigh of relief; if the leech really was here, Paul would smell it too and be much more alert.

Finally the bell rang. I fired out of the room. I was fast enough to make it through the halls before the crowd formed. I made a beeline for the forest, shifting the second I was sure I was concealed. I realized I had left my things in science. Oh well. There were more important things on my mind.

_Jake._ I heard Jared's voice in my head.

I didn't respond. I was on one track. Kathleen. Vampire.

_Kathleen's a vampire?_

I growled and snarled. How many times did I have to tell these idiots? I sent him a glimpse of Kathleen and the leech talking on the cliffs. I showed him how I intervened.

_Oh._ He paused. _Does Sam know?_

I was home. I shifted back without responding to Jared. I sniffed the air. No sign of the leech. Her autumn scent was strong. I smiled in spite of my anxiety. She was safe.

I opened the front door. My eyes flew to the couch where I saw her dark head.

"So how was Forks?"

"What?" The words had barely registered. The steadiness of her voice was struck me, however. How could she be so calm? She was taking this better than I thought.

She turned around quickly, her frown brightening into a smile when she saw me. I smiled as well. Maybe this wouldn't be as difficult and painful as I thought.

"Oh! I thought you were Joe!"

"Really?" I snorted disbelievingly. How could anyone mistake me for that emaciated runt? "He went to Forks?"

"Yeah." She turned back around. "He's not the biggest fan of La Push and needed a change of scene."

"How'd he get over there?" I leaned over the back of the couch so I could look her in the eye again. She automatically got guilty. She shrunk down and looked at me hesitantly out of the corner of her eyes. I grinned. It was almost cute.

"Um…well first off, let me say I thought he'd get back before you were done with class. He's a very good driver. Very safe and almost as experienced as me…"

"Kathleen?" I tried to make my voice commanding and authoritative. It seemed to work. She became even more sheepish. I struggled not to laugh at the sight.

"I let him borrow your motorcycle," she mumbled.

"Kathleen…" I moaned. My stomach lurched. I loved that bike. Besides being one of the only things that still connected me to when Bella was happy and human, it was the closest thing I got to speed in my human form. I didn't know Joe. I didn't know if he'd ever driven anything in his life, much less my Harley. However, below this irritation and worry was ecstacy. Joe was out of the house. I could talk to Kathleen about vampires and werewolves in peace now.

"Sorry!" she squeaked, turning around. "You're pissed, aren't you? I felt really bad for the kid. We've spent longer here than I originally meant to and it's driving him mad. And when something's driving him mad, he drives me mad, and then I get mad, which in turn could make you or Billy mad, because I'm really mad crabby when I'm mad…"

"Hush, darling." I couldn't help but grin at her rambling. "I'm not mad. Well, maybe a little, but I'll get over it. Better Joe is out of here and you're sane." I jumped over the back of the couch to sit beside her. "Of course, from that little tirade, your sanity is already in question."

"You're mean," she pouted slightly. "Now a part of me hopes Joe wrecks that thing."

I stopped breathing. A glinting side-glance reassured me that she was kidding.

"Talk about mean," I muttered. "If there's even a scratch on my bike…"

"Oh, no he's a great rider!" she nodded confidently. "I made him promise to be careful or I'd smash his Mac." She gestured to the open laptop on her lap.

Good, because I honestly didn't know where that threat was going. If it were anyone else, I probably would have beaten him to a pulp then thrown him off my land; however, I had a feeling Kathleen wouldn't be too gung ho about me killing Joe. Instead, I nodded and glanced at the laptop.

My insides quaked violently. A foreboding word glared up at me.

Imprinting.

My hand flew out and I turned the computer toward me. Yes, I had read that correctly. My imprint was researching imprinting.

"It's my psych work. Nessa just emailed it to me." I almost didn't hear her. I looked up, completely unsure of what to say.

She must have taken my blank look for confusion. "It's a learning behaviour. You know how ducklings follow their mother?" I nodded slowly, still looking at the computer screen. "It's all because of imprinting. When they hatch, they imprint on the very first thing they see, which is usually their mother. They follow their imprint around constantly and copy everything the imprint does, learning how to swim, eat, and live."

That wasn't right.

"Humans imprint too," she continued, turning the computer back forward. I looked up at her quickly.

"They do?" I blurted. I kicked myself mentally. _Of course they do, stupid. Your imprint is sitting right beside you._

"Yeah. In the womb. A fetus hears its mother's voice and starts to recognize it. That's how it learns who its parents are."

"That's not…" I managed to stop myself just in time. I hadn't explained imprinting to her yet. She didn't know that it really meant that she was my soulmate. That had to wait. I couldn't overwhelm her further.

_Although, she doesn't seem too fazed_, I thought.

"That's not…too fun, it sounds," I lamely said. "You have to learn all this for school?"

"Yeah." She sighed heavily and shut the laptop. "The joys of deferred gen eds. It's the only class between me and graduation now." She smiled. "Thanks for the motorcycle, by the way. It was a great distraction."

"Glad to oblige." Now we were back on track. "Where all did you go?"

"I stayed on the Res…" I could see her getting a little sheepish again.

"Kathleen…" I couldn't help teasing her, even though she was right.

"I did!" she exclaimed "...the…cliffs are still technically the Res, right?"

"Yes, the cliffs are on the Res," I chuckled. "Anything exciting happen?"

"Not really." She paused. "Do you know anyone named Randall?"

I shook my head slowly. "Is he from around here?" I made myself ask.

"I dunno. Probably not. He's super pale. I was thinking he was from Forks or something."

"Can you describe him?"

"Dark shaggy hair, pale skin, tall," she rattled off.

"No, he's definitely not from here." I was trying to keep my voice light. She nodded quietly

"Did Bella have a brother?" she asked suddenly.

That confused me. "No, why?"

"He just reminded me of what I thought Bella might look like. And he said he was looking for the Cullens."

"Ah."

She went silent, staring at the blank television. She was obviously thinking. She wasn't telling me everything. Maybe she didn't quite trust me? Maybe I should have gotten Embry to question her. Last time she had ran into Randall, she had told him everything. Of course, that might have been because I was too busy hunting down the blasted bloodsucker. I was about to go get him when she spoke up again.

"What's in the forest?"

My insides quaked.

"What do you mean?"

"The morning Joe and I interviewed Old Quil, Quil came over. I meant to tell you about this," she amended, looking directly at me. "I heard something in the forest."

"What?"

"The most terrifying snarl I've heard in my life." She shuddered in memory. I placed an arm on the back of the couch, touching her shoulders gently. If she felt it, she didn't seem to mind. "And I thought I saw something."

"What was it?"

"I dunno. It was like…this great hulking, furry shadow. Like the wolf I saw in the forest with Randall but much, much bigger. Did Embry tell you about that?" She looked at me again. I nodded quickly. "Do you have many gigantic wolves like that around?"

I couldn't help but smile. "We have a few I think. I believe the majority of them are pretty gentle. Especially the reddish brown one."

"Yeah I know," she muttered. "Wait. You've seen it too?"

"Have you?" I could hear the excitement in my voice. I tried to calm down. I couldn't. She knew.

"Yeah. It showed up on the cliffs. Was that what I saw that morning?"

"Probably. Nothing else in the forest could be that big. What did he – it – do on the cliffs?"

She fell quiet. Her shoulders fell. She seemed to shrink. I placed my arm around her shoulders properly.

"Kathleen?" I asked. So she really was scared. "It's ok. Don't worry."

"It wasn't gentle," she whispered. My heart quaked. "At least…not at first. It came up growling. Horribly. Its muzzle was skewered up in the most terrifying snarl I've ever seen. And it was humongous. It was so tall, it could look me in the eye."

I squeezed her shoulders gently. "I'm sorry if I…" I stopped short. She glanced at me curiously. "If _I'm_," I corrected quickly, "making you dwell on this. You can stop if it's too much."

"No," she shook her head. She leaned forward, out of my grip. "It's weird, but I wasn't that scared. It seemed more worried about Randall than me."

I smiled. "Yeah, you're not that much of a threat," I joked. That earned me an elbow in the side and a glaring smirk.

"But Randall didn't seem threatened either. He talked to it like a human, like he knew what it was. He called it a pup." She laughed weakly. "I don't know what kind of puppies he's been around, but that…_thing_ was full-grown."

She drew her knees into her and sat back again, placing her chin on her knees. I replaced my arm around her and watched her. She didn't budge.

"Randall told the wolf he was more protective than the wolf from the forest. He said the wolf in the forest was trying to…kill me." Her voice turned into a whisper. She paused and looked at me gravely. "Do you think that's true?"

"What is? That the wolf was protecting you or that the wolf from the forest was trying to kill you?"

"Both I guess. But I guess the wolf was trying to protect me. I don't know why though. Randall wasn't trying to actively kill me. He was just…creepy."

"Creepier than the wolf?"

"I wouldn't say the wolf was creepy, per se," she said slowly.

"Scary, then? You did say the wolf wasn't acting very gentle."

"Only around Randall. When he was gone, the wolf was almost tame." She paused. "It reminded me of you in a way."

My heart leapt. "Why?"

"I have no idea."

As far as my heart had leapt, it fell twice as far. "Really?"

"Well, I guess cause it was really sweet." She blushed slightly. "It let me pet it. It lead me back to the motorcycle." Suddenly she laughed.

"What?"

"I swear it understood me. That was no ordinary wolf. It was almost domesticated. And I _swear_ it understood what I was saying."

I was grinning like mad.

"Like that," she pointed at me. "It smiled. Just like that."

I laughed, trying to mimic the laugh I had given on the cliffs.

"And that!" she cried. "It laughed too! And it…it told me to wear my helmet."

I laughed again. "Yeah, that's no normal wolf."

"Well, I like that one. And it seems to like me."

"Seems to." I couldn't help but grin madly again. "So it hated…what was the lee…guy's name? Randall?" I asked.

"Seemed too. The wolf drove him to the edge of the cliffs. If I hadn't have screamed and distracted him, he probably would have killed Randall."

"Why do you think?" I prodded. "I mean, the way you described him, the wolf seems pretty docile. You know, except around Randall."

"Yeah…" she trailed. "I dunno. Maybe he just didn't like his scent?"

How right she was.

But I wasn't getting anywhere. She wasn't exactly screaming that Randall was a vampire and that I was the wolf. Time for a different tactic.

"So what time did all this happen? I came home during lunch to talk to you and you weren't home."

"I was probably up at the cliffs." She looked at the clock. "Yeah, I'd say this happened around lunchtime. I woke up late."

"Yeah, I didn't see you this morning. When did you end up getting up?"

"I think Joe said it was eleven?"

"You woke up at 11? Lucky."

"Well SOMEONE woke me up in the middle of the night," she glared at me.

"Yeah, sorry about that," I rushed. "Anyway…"

"Giving me weird dreams about Underworld and shit…" she muttered.

"What?"

"Vampires and werewolves. Epic battle. Have you really never seen that movie? With your tribe's adoration with wolves, I was sure you would've seen it! Course then again, it is rather anti-werewolf…" she trailed.

"Not werewolves," I groaned. "We went over this."

"Whatever," she rolled her eyes. "And something about leeches. That was weird. What do wormy bloodsuckers have to do with mutated humans?"

"Well they're not really leeches…" I muttered. She looked at me blankly. "I told you. Don't you remember?" I stuttered, feeling my blood run cold.

"You woke me up at two in the morning. You're lucky I remember anything," she smiled, looking down at the laptop again.

I jumped up in horror.

She didn't know.

She didn't know anything.

"What's wrong with you?" she looked up at me, frowning in confusion.

"You fell asleep, didn't you?" I said hollowly. My voice sounded terrible. I didn't care.

"It was two in the morning!" She exclaimed. "You woke me up from a dead sleep. I was exhausted!"

"I thought you wanted to know!" I yelled back.

"I did, but apparently it's not as exciting and important as you keep building it up to be!"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I fell asleep," she said in a measured tone. "God, you're insufferable."

"I'm insufferable?!" I howled. "_You're _the one who's been freaking out because I supposedly wasn't telling you anything!"

"You haven't told me anything!" she insisted.

"I've told you everything! It's not my fault you don't listen!"

"Well it's your fault for waking me up in the middle of the night for a whole bunch of nothing!" she yelled.

"It's not nothing!"

"Apparently, because all you Quileutes have to be so blasted cryptic and exclusive with whatever your stupid secret is!" she burst. "I know you, Embry, and Quil are keeping something from me, but every time I try to ask you three rationally, I get written off. Or better yet, fed some stupid junk in the middle of the night that means nothing about anything.

She scooped up the laptop and pushed past me roughly.

"Worms, mutants, and monsters. I'm so glad you trust me," she muttered bitterly as she stalked up the stairs. I watched her go through narrowed eyes, flinching as I heard a door slam.

I had told her everything. Everything I could and then a little.

She wasn't listening.

She didn't know.

…

A/N: Please don't hate me.

On a brighter note, if you can guess the book Jacob's English class is reading, you will win a chapter dedication and virtual goodies! No Googling; that's cheating!

And I'm dead serious about the Twilight story. If you can find it, I'll do basically whatever you want. The main stars are Paul and Jasper and I want to say it's around or over 60 chapters long. It should have chapters titled 'Twilight' and 'New Moon' to mark when the book changes. Drop me a message if you have a lead or want more details. I'm desperate.


	15. Latent Image

I dedicate this chapter to **Davii-Hime** because he said he hated me. I hope by giving him a dedication, he hates me no longer. Also there's a shout-out to **UnspokenFaith** in here! Can you find it?!

Disclaimer: I don't know own Twilight.

...

Chapter 15: Latent Images

I was on the cliffs again, looking out over the water. I knew he was close.

I sensed him before I saw him: that prickling sensation on the back of my neck, my skin crawling with goosebumps. His presence was so strong that I fancied I could smell him. It was a light, sweet scent, as if he was crafted from the most pure, delicately spun sugar in heaven.

His cold touch made me jump. His tenor laugh sent thrills down my spine. I turned slowly and looked up at him. His eyes were burgundy again. No, darker than burgundy. They were a burnt maroon, closer to black or purple than red. The terrible sight made my heart leap around in my chest, fighting to get away and run.

"Calm down, darling," his velvet voice soothed. "It will only hurt for a second."

I tried to relax but those eyes wouldn't let me. I still didn't trust Randall.

I thought I heard my name called. My eyes flicked to the road. I thought I saw Jacob, shirtless, standing in the road. I gasped. Randall's hand circled around my throat, brushing my hair back. I glanced at him quickly. He smiled.

"Relax," he nearly cooed. I looked back at the road. Jacob was gone. I wanted him back.

I felt Randall's breath on my neck. His lips were pressed gently against the artery, his teeth scraping the delicate skin there. Something sharp pierced me. He'd bitten me. He sucked gently. Against his cold lips, I could feel my skin start to burn gently.

Something roared. My eyes fired open. Over Randall's shoulder, I saw a great mass of russet fur bounding toward us. It was the wolf. The once friendly wolf. The wolf that had told me to be safe. I tried to scream, but Randall had control of my throat.

Randall was knocked away from me. I fell to the ground. The wolf was snarling. Randall was screaming. The wolf was ripping and tearing. I closed my eyes in horror, not wanting to watch my protector destroy Randall.

Something dripped down my neck. I rubbed it with my hand and glanced at my fingers. Blood. The burning returned; I hadn't rubbed that hard. It grew in intensity. My skin was burning.

I screamed.

In seconds, Jacob was at my side. The wolf was gone. I didn't dare look at where Randall had been. Jacob's warm hand touched the fire, making it singe fiercer. I shoved him away and howled, feeling hot tears drip down my face. The pain was insufferable. Jacob looked at me sadly, whispering my name.

I started to hear voices over my screams.

"Leeches…shapeshifters natural enemy…not werewolves…"

It was Jacob's voice, though his lips didn't move.

"I was looking for the Cullens," I heard Randall say. I tried again to look over to where he had been. I yelped in pain; the fire kept me from turning my head, from seeing anything beyond Jacob.

"Years ago, some of the vampires settled near here." Jacob's voice was back, melding with Randall's

"I heard Bella had hung around the pups as well before she turned." Randall.

"There will always be a risk for humans when the cold ones are around, even if they're supposedly civilized." Jacob.

Jacob's voice began to drown out Randall's.

"You can't have one without the other. Where there's vampires, there will always be shapeshifters. And the shapeshifters are always Quileute. The powers stay in the family: the family that descended from Taha Aki, the original shapeshifter."

Jacob's lips moved again, forming my name. I couldn't hear him. My screams were too loud. The fire intensified, taking over my entire body. Jacob was disappearing into darkness, black water engulfing him while I burned alive…

I jolted awake.

Something was holding me down.

It was dark

I was burning.

I was drenched.

I slapped my hand to my neck, expecting to find a bloody gash. It was dry and uncut.

_It was only a dream._ I sighed.

Slowly, things slid into focus. I was in the twin's old room. In the shadows, I could see the other bed that held my suitcase. I could see the desks. Most importantly, I could see the closed door, the hall light glowing dimly underneath.

A thick stack of blankets pinned me down. I didn't remember having this many. The burning sensation stopped the second I kicked them off. I felt disgusting; the sweat from the blankets and the dream had turned my pajamas into a damp and sticky mess. My trembling hand knocked around the desk beside me, eventually finding my cell phone. I flipped it open.

2:38 am.

I set it down and stared at the blankets, trying to breathe deeply.

_It was only a dream_, I reminded myself again. But it had seemed so real.

I wasn't going to sleep again unless I cleared my mind.

I grabbed my laptop from the edge of the desk. I turned it on, screwing my eyes shut to avoid being blinded by the screen's light. I opened a new Word document and sighed. Slowly, I began to type_._

**Randall**

**Jacob**

I stopped and bit my lip as I tried to remember; the dream's details were fading fast. I settled against the wall and began writing again.

**Randall: cold, red eyes, smelled sweet**

**bite: felt like fire, blood, fainted**

**Jacob: on road but disappeared, reappeared after wolf was gone.**

**Wolf: attacked Randall, killed/ripped him (?)**

I stopped again and stared at the screen. I knew it was right in front of me; I just couldn't see it.

The voices. What had the voices said? I started typing again, having to backspace several times as I tried to remember what Randall and Jacob had said.

**J: Leeches, shapeshifter's natural enemy, not werewolves**

**Vampires settled here**

**Risk for humans around cold ones**

**Can't have one without the other (vampires and shapeshifters), shapeshifters=Quileute, Taha Aki's family**

**R: looking for Cullens**

**Bella hung out with 'pups' before she turned**

I sighed and massaged my temples. My head was reeling. I stared at the glaring screen stupidly. The black type burned into my eyes, making them water. The words blurred, getting mixed up and confused. Randall wasn't a vampire; he was a wolf. Jacob was a leech, his sluglike shape clinging onto Randall's fur tightly. Fat with Randall's blood, Jacob the leech fell off and burst into flames. Taha Aki was kneeling beside me, whispering my name as his burgundy eyes welled with tears. All the while, a girl who looked like me, but at the same time didn't, played with several puppies that ran around and around the cliffs.

I felt nauseous. I shook my head violently and tilted the laptop screen down until the light disappeared. The darkness temporarily blinded me, taking away my insane, jumbled bastardization of the dream. After a few minutes of blissful nothingness, the dream slid back into focus, lucid and untainted by my overactive imagination. Remnants swirled around my mind like the beginning of a windstorm: Jacob standing on the road; the wolf springing toward us; Randall bending down to my neck, his cold lips somehow warming the skin underneath as he bit me.

Bit me.

I froze.

"Years ago, some of the vampires settled near here." The echo of Jacob's voice thudded dully in my ears.

_Vampire. _

But Randall didn't live around here. Or did he? Our conversation on the cliffs had made him sound like he was just visiting the Cullens. Plus, his appearance was too ragged for a sedentary lifestyle.

The Cullens however…

Randall did say he knew them. And if he was a vampire, it was possible…

But was he really a vampire? I was decently versed in vampire lore. I had read Dracula, seen numerous movie adaptations, and even helped write and stage an original version of the book. As a teen, I had read the Vampire Diaries series. When I was in college, I had started Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles but had to stop as classes and work got in the way.

Randall fit none of the classic characteristics. He could come out in daylight unharmed; in fact, he had done so not just once, but twice. He was pale, but it was a sort of healthy pale, not drained and corpse-like as legend described. He certainly couldn't control animals; the giant wolf hadn't hesitated to kill him. The only thing weird about Randall was that his eyes changed to different shades of red and no vampire story I had ever read explained that.

But all of Randall's characteristics certainly didn't classify him as a typical human. Humans didn't have burgundy eyes that turned scarlet. Humans didn't glide with Randall's eerie grace. Humans didn't have that countertenor voice that made every one of my nerves quiver anxiously. And humans certainly didn't have that burning icy touch that had gripped my neck in a chokehold.

I started to replay the conversation from the cliffs. He said he had been hungry in the forest and that if the mutt hadn't have been there, which I guessed was his pet name for the mammoth beast that tried to murder me, he would have taken me. Taken me where? Had I nearly been vampire food? Was that preferable over being radioactive wolf food?

My mind was running away from itself again. I made myself stop going down that road. There was no way to be sure Randall was a vampire, but I was pretty sure he wasn't a typical human. Sense came with daylight; I vowed to drop the subject for now and come back to it later.

I flipped the laptop back open, groaning at the light.

**Reminder: look up vampire characteristics, compare with Randall**.

**Cullens?**

I glanced at the last word I had written. The Cullens. All I knew about them was that they lived around Forks, that the people on the Rez hated them for some reason, and that Edward married Bella, who apparently looked a little like me. Now Randall was looking for them. They had moved, but they were thinking of coming back.

_I'm sure the Rez will love that_, I thought idly.

The Cullens were worth researching as well. Maybe Charlie would have some information on them.

**Cullens?: ask Charlie**

I looked over the small paragraph/list I had typed. My eyes shifted to the clock in the corner. 3:04. I yawned, my eyes closing as my body begged for sleep. My mind was slowly starting to clear, the angry cloud of thoughts calming. I needed to walk around. I saved the document and closed the laptop, not bothering to turn it off. I pulled on a hoodie and quietly opened the bedroom door.

I could hear Jacob's heavy breathing in the room beside me. The door was slightly ajar. I couldn't help my curiosity; I tiptoed over and looked through the crack.

The moonlight was spilling from the two windows into the cramped room, casting the cluttered desk and half open dresser into dramatic shadow. I could hear his breathing louder now but the door was blocking my view of the bed. I peeked my head around the door, stepping a little closer in.

A floorboard creaked.

I froze. Crap.

I saw Jacob turn over, the moonlight illuminating his face. He frowned, as if he was about to open his eyes. I darted back and slipped back into my room, cursing again as I heard my own door creak.

I was barely under the covers when the door creaked again. I shut my eyes and tried to breathe evenly. A warm hand touched my shoulder, causing my breath to hitch. I moved a little to cover it up, keeping my eyes closed. The touch went away. There was a rustle at the foot of the bed. I got a lot warmer and the weight of the covers increased slightly. My eyes fluttered open to see Jacob pulling the stack of blankets back over me. I managed to close my eyes before he looked at me again.

He was tucking me in. I couldn't help but sigh.

His warm touch smoothed my hair. I felt a smile creep over my face. The door creaked again. I waited a minute before opening my eyes.

The door was shut again. He was gone.

I had forgotten to take off my hoodie.

Crap.

_I wonder if he noticed_. The thought flashed across my brain. I kicked off the blankets, yanked the offending garment off, and grabbed my laptop.

I had forgotten to consider Jacob and the wolf.

I opened the laptop again; the Word document was open and waiting, cursor blinking patiently. I typed his name once more.

**Jacob**

**Wolf**

I was so sure I saw Jacob on the road. The sight had nearly relaxed me. It was possible, however, that I had just imagined him there. After all, Jacob, Quil, and Embry had flitted across my mind several times when I had been on the cliffs for real that afternoon. The only time I could be sure that I saw Jacob was after the wolf had destroyed Randall.

The wolf.

I shuddered again. Jacob had said the russet wolf was gentle. He hadn't been gentle with Randall, both dream Randall or real Randall. At least in real life, the wolf had become docile after Randall jumped. The wolf in the dream however was ferocious, rabid, and completely terrifying. I was sure that if Randall hadn't been where he was, the wolf would have been trying to tear me to pieces.

But it had disappeared, or so I guessed; the pain in my neck hadn't let me look around. All I could see was Jacob and his inconsolable sadness, the look that seemed to say he had failed me in some way. I could see his lips silently forming my name over and over as tears welled in those expressive dark eyes.

Those eyes.

I started typing again.

**Jacob**

**Wolf: expressive (laughed, smiled, nodded), could understand me**, **reminded me of Jacob**

**eyes: not normal wolf eyes, somewhat human**

**kept flashing back to Jacob, Embry, and Quil**

Oh God.

Oh my God.

It was like someone turned on the strongest spotlight and shone it directly in my face. Everything clicked together. Taha Aki. The Great Wolf. Vampires. Leeches. Shapeshifters.

My heart stopped. My vision narrowed, honing in on my glowing computer. The cursor blinked slowly, counting out the seconds as they passed as my heartbeat mimicked the steady rhythm. My fingers stretched out over the keys. I typed each letter slowly, watching in horror as I wrote what was flashing over my brain.

**Jacob=Wolf?**

No.

No, that was silly.

I slammed the laptop closed and pushed it off my lap. I curled into a ball and scooted as far away as I could. I was being ridiculous. I was getting caught up in stories that only Hollywood could spin. There was no such thing as werewolves.

"There's no such thing as werewolves," I whispered to the shadowed room. My voice sounded meek and trembling.

_Not werewolves. Shapeshifters_. Jacob's voice echoed in my head. I covered my ears and ducked my head into my knees.

_That's impossible. Jacob can't turn into a wolf. _

_Jacob appeared when the wolf disappeared, _the nagging voice that I was all too familiar with reminded me; it sounded vaguely like the hulking Quileute boy sleeping one room over.

_I don't know that. I just couldn't see the wolf. _

_Where there's vampires, there will always be shapeshifters._ The voice chanted. _And the shapeshifters are always Quileute. _

_I don't know if Randall is a vampire._

_You don't know if Jacob isn't a shapeshifter, _the voice reminded. _The powers stay in the family: the family that descended from Taha Aki...the original shapeshifter…the descendants of the Chief. _

I put my head on the pillow, trying to block out the persistent voice. I was going crazy. The dream was getting to me, coupled with the irrationality of the midnight hours. Sense would come with daylight.

_Where there's vampires, there will always be shapeshifters,_ the voice repeated. I groaned. But I wasn't sure if Randall was a vampire. In my dream, he had bitten me, yes, but he hadn't done anything in real life. Then again, he said himself that he hadn't been hungry. Had that ever stopped Dracula though?

And if Randall was actually a vampire…

I couldn't help but rub the spot where he bit me in the dream. If Randall actually was a vampire, did that mean there were shapeshifters? Did that necessarily mean Jacob was a shapeshifter? Could he was the wolf from the cliffs? And if he was the wolf from the cliffs, who was the wolf in the forest that tried to eat me? Or the wolf that had sat at the edge of the forest, warning me to not go back in? Or the wolf in the backyard that growled? Or the wolf I had heard snarl in the backyard that morning? How many hulking, radioactive wolves were there, if there really were wolves?

I slammed a second pillow over my head, trying to shut out the thoughts. My mind was starting to overanalyze things again, the cloud trying to brew up another storm.

Everything seemed to hinge on whether Randall was human or…something else. If he were human, it would rebuke everything I had ridiculously concocted in my half-asleep state. But if he _was_ a…

I swallowed hard and buried my nose further into the covers.

If he was a vampire, there was a sliver of possibility that everything else was true. That the Cullens were vampires. That Bella was a vampire. That there were shapeshifters. That Jacob was the wolf.

I had to find Randall. I had to know. I had to ask him straight out. It was the only way to discover the truth. However, there was no way I was about to wander out into the forest in the wee hours of the morning and go looking for what could possibly a bloodthirsty vampire.

_Sense would come with daylight_, I repeated to myself. I'd find him in the morning. He was probably still hanging around, waiting for the Cullens. And he had seemed interested in me, though hopefully he was just curious and not interested in making me a first course.

I'd play him on my turf. I wouldn't go to the cliffs or to the forest by the beach. I'd wait in forest behind the house, making sure to always keep the little red building in view. I considered getting Quil or Embry to go with me, but I shot that down quickly. Embry had expressly told me to stay out of the forest and I suspected Quil wasn't too keen on the idea of me crashing around in there either. I'd have to go alone. Get in, find him, get my answer, and get out. I just prayed that I could hold Randall's interests long enough so that his thoughts didn't stray to dinner.

I glanced at my phone one last time before my eyes closed. 3:48. Four hours to get the sleep that would hopefully keep me sane on my second foolish venture into the woods.

...

A/N: Gotta pimp out my beta's Jake/OC story. It's called "In Retrospect" by Fye Kurokawa. It's rather good, great suspense, and I honestly have no idea where she's going with it. And I love it. Read it and drop her a review!

Also, the story I was describing is called "The Puppet Master" by Glitch in the System. Thanks for searching people! And read it. It's AMAZING. And she just updated.

Nice people leave reviews. Please be a nice person.


	16. Forest

A/N: This chapter is currently unedited and unbetaed due to a very suckish week on my end and losing track of time. I'll repost a better version later.

...

Chapter 16: Forest

The second I woke up, I wished I hadn't.

She didn't know. I had told her everything I could. I had even showed her my wolf form. She couldn't put it together.

I had no other choice.

I had to break the injunction.

I groaned and pressed the heels of my palms to my eyes.

I didn't want to break the injunction. If I did, I'd have to leave the pack. I'd have to leave La Push. But none of that would matter if Kathleen would follow. But she didn't know. I didn't know if she'd follow me.

If she didn't follow, I'd die. If she never knew, I'd die.

Hesitantly, I got out of bed. Maybe school would give me some sort of inspiration for my next step. I doubted it. All school was good for anymore was giving me pointless crap to pretend to do for eight hours. I didn't want to go to college. Hell, with the pack, college was out of the question. I didn't know why I couldn't just stop schooling now. It'd be a lot more practical. But no. Sam wouldn't hear of that, not to mention Dad and the rest of the tribe. Nope. I was stuck in that hellhole for another few months.

I pulled on the pair of pants on my desk chair blindly, still grumbling about how much my life sucked. Maybe I'd go work on Kathleen's VW Bus to cheer up. Or break something else in the ancient vehicle so she'd have to stay longer. No, that was pointless; if she couldn't get it now, she'd never get it. I was out of hints. I was out of stories. I was out of plans.

I walked over toward the open dresser to find a clean shirt. Out of habit, I looked out of the window.

I double took.

Kathleen was heading into the forest.

No.

The door wouldn't open fast enough. I took the stairs in a single leap, nearly losing my balance as I dodged the couch on the turn. I skirted the table and wrenched open the backdoor, letting it slam behind me.

I wasn't fast enough. She was gone. Inside. With the leech.

I sprinted into the forest, ripping off my pants as I went. The second the fabric was off, I shifted. I stopped just long enough to snatch up my pants in my mouth. Then I ran. I ran toward her scent.

_Jacob._

Shit, I forgot Sam took morning patrol.

_You broke my injunction,_ I heard him growl.

_Not yet, _I snapped. I sniffed the air. Kathleen's autumn scent was blending with the artificially sweetness of the leech. I held back a gag; it was approaching fast.

_Kathleen's in here? _

As I stalked around the forest, I thought about yesterday's encounter on the cliffs for Sam's benefit. I replayed the argument I had with her, proving that she still didn't know.

_Where are you? I'm coming. _

_House. It's close. So is she. She's not moving very far away._

I saw Sam running from the far edge of the territory just as I spotted Kathleen hesitating in a small clearing. I sidestepped behind a thick shrubbery and placed my pants at the foot of its branches. She turned toward me, toward the house. You could still see a trace of the red paint through the greenery.

She turned back around and stood still. Her foot tapped idly. She was waiting.

_What the hell is she doing?_ Sam asked. I could see him looking at her; he was just a few feet away from me, hiding as well.

I inhaled. The leech smell was growing stronger. I heard Sam shift around and start to growl.

_Shut up!_ I warned him.

Kathleen had heard him as well. She glanced towards us uneasily. Her eyes were wide with anxiety or fear, I couldn't tell. She didn't seem to want to be here, but here she stayed. She glanced toward the house again then faced forward.

_Get her out of there. I'll deal with the leech. _Sam growled. He made to move forward.

_Sam, no!_

_That was an order Jake!_ I could feel the Alpha voice coming.

_Sam, please!_ I could hear how desperate my voice was getting. It made him pause as well. _I…I don't want to break your order. I really don't. But she's obviously waiting for something. And we're here. If anything goes wrong, it's not like we can't stop it. _

Sam didn't get a chance to reply. The leech broke through into the clearing. I could see its sneering face; Kathleen's back was to me, but I could see her straighten.

"Couldn't stay away, darling?" it cooed.

"I was curious," she said in a shaky yet steely tone.

"Mmm, were you?" it murmured. In a second, it closed the distance between them and placed a hand on her cheek tenderly. I held back a growl as I involuntarily tensed to spring.

She ducked under its hand and pivoted. I could see her face now; her jaw was set and her eyes were narrowed. "Don't you touch me," she hissed.

"Bet you don't say that to your wolves," it chuckled. "You didn't bring them along this time, did you?" the leech continued. It sniffed the air and began to circle her. "Or do they just follow you around like the brainless little fleabags that they are?"

"I didn't bring anyone. I wanted to talk to you," Kathleen said, turning with the leech so that she continued to face it.

"Did you, love?" The leech was facing us again, its lecherous grin making me almost as sick as its scent. "Please do tell."

"Why did you come?"

"You intrigue me, little one." He quickly held up his hand in mock arrest, an amused smile playing across his lips. "Forgive me. I forgot you didn't like that name. However, you never did tell me yours."

_Don't do it, _I silently begged her, wishing she could hear me.

"Like hell I will," she hissed. "You don't deserve to know my name."

The leech laughed. "Oh, you are entertaining, I'll give you that. Thinking you can boss me around and that you're better than me. Unfortunately, you have one glaring weakness that I've magically overcome."

"Mmm-hmm. And, pray tell, what is this glaring weakness?"

In a flash, he was at her side, towering over her. He bent down to her ear seamlessly.

"Mortality," he whispered.

She shivered. She turned to face him.

Another flash and he was gone. Disappeared. Kathleen whipped around again, struggling to get back on the offensive.

"Why are you here?" she whispered to nothing.

"I told you, I'm looking for the Cullens."

He was behind her. She turned quickly to face him again.

"Why?"

"You could say we're…related." The leech smiled wider, revealing his perfectly white teeth.

"But not blood related." She wasn't asking, was she?

"Mmm, no. Not quite." The leech took another step toward her. Kathleen stepped back quickly.

"Marriage?"

"Hardly."

"So if you're related to them, but not by blood or marriage, how are you related?"

The leech grinned again, not stopping his advance. "The way we're all related. Metaphysically."

"Don't feed me that bullshit. What are you?" Kathleen huffed.

That made the leech stop.

"What do you think I am?" he asked playfully.

"You tell me."

"Come on, dear. Don't be like that." The leech leapt behind her again. It snaked its arms around her waist and leaned down into her ear. I could barely hear him, even with my heightened senses. "You were so teasing yesterday. What changed? Was it your precious pup?"

She was struggling to get him off of her. He chuckled lowly. "Don't worry. I'm still not hungry. Yet." He let her go. "Although you smell delicious. I am anticipating enjoying you soon."

I growled lowly.

The leech heard me. Its red eyes narrowed in my direction.

"So we aren't as alone as I suspected…"

Kathleen took advantage of the leech's distraction. She managed to break free and back away a few feet.

_I'm going. _Sam said, crouching into a pre-spring.

_Sam, wait!_

_Are you insane? He's about to eat her!_

_He said he's not hungry._

_Since when has that stopped a leech before?_

_Just…she needs to hear this. I think she's going to get it. _

_She's in danger, Jake!_

"What are you?!" I heard her scream at the leech. "Answer me!"

The leech chuckled low and dark.

"Your wolves haven't told you? I would've thought they would. Especially the one from the cliffs. He seemed quite fond of you."

"Answer my question." Her voice was steely again.

_Jake!_

"You haven't answered mine. What do you think I am?"

"I asked you first."

"Are we really resorting to that childhood rule?"

_Jake, this is ridiculous. Get her out of there. _

"If I have to. I know you're not human. At least…I'm pretty sure you're not."

The leech gave another toothy grin. "What was your first clue?" it purred as it stepped even closer to her.

She stepped back again. "The eyes," she whispered. "No human could have those soulless, red eyes."

_Jake, this has gone on long enough._

_I just want to hear her say it!_ I snapped.

"Very perceptive darling. I do believe you're slumming by hanging out with these doltish mutts."

"Now," Kathleen's voice quivered slightly. "I told you what I think. Tell me…what you are."

"Oh, I think you can do better than that," the leech smirked. "Come on. You've got a guess. I know you do. Say it."

_It's your imprint. It's your funeral. _I could hear how irritated Sam was getting by appeasing my foolishness. It was driving me mad as well, seeing her that close to death. But I did need to hear it. I needed to know she knew.

I saw her hesitate.

"Now, darling. Your wolves are waiting. So am I. None of us is going to wait much longer." It hovered closer, casting a quick glance in Sam and mine's direction. "They're close. I can hear them growl. Can't you?"

"Yes," she panted.

"Say it. What am I?"

"Vampire."

The word struck me deep. I never thought such a word would inspire such a leap of joy in my heart.

Sam gave an almighty snarl. He couldn't wait any longer. He leapt out of the bushes, snapping for the leech's throat. The leech screamed and took off, Sam hot on its heels.

Kathleen screamed. Over her fright, I heard Sam's voice.

_Get her out. Get her to Emily's. It's time she knew. Everything._

I shifted quickly, pulling on my pants again. Soundlessly, I walked into the clearing and touched her elbow.

"Kathleen."

She jumped. She turned. Her face calmed from shock and fright to calm and anxiety.

"Jacob," she breathed.

"Come on. We've got to go."

Thankfully, she let me lead her quietly. I could feel her shaking under my light touch on her elbow. I took her hand firmly; she didn't protest. She kept looking back and stumbling over the ground as I dragged her out. I could still hear Sam as he ran deeper into the forest, his howls quieting as he went.

Finally we were out of the trees. I paused for a second to look her over.

"Are you ok?" I sounded gruffer than usual.

"Fine. Who was that?"

She said who. Not what.

"Never mind. Come on."

"Jacob!"

I couldn't listen. I couldn't stop. I had to get to Emily's. She wasn't safe until she got to Emily's.

I went around to the back of the garage where the Rabbit was parked while I fixed her Bus. I opened the passenger door for her.

"Get in," I ordered.

She crossed her arms and held her stance. "Where are we going?"

"Emily's. Get in."

"Who's Emily?"

"Sam's wife. Get in _please._"

"Who the fuck is Sam?!"

"Just get in and I'll explain everything."

She glared at me and slipped in. I slammed the door behind her and darted to the driver's seat. The keys were still in the ignition. I turned on the car and peeled out onto the dirt road.

She barely let the house disappear from view before she started in on me again.

"Explain."

"What the hell were you doing in the forest?" My jaw set.

"I…I had to figure something out."

"You couldn't have asked me?" There was a definite edge to my tone. I didn't bother to hide it. It was starting to rain. I flipped on the windshield wipers and drove faster.

"I did ask you."

"When?" I scoffed.

"Several times. You kept fobbing me off."

"So you went into the forest where you could have very well been killed?" I snapped.

"You weren't telling me anything!"

"I was telling you everything!" I countered hotly.

I saw her shrink away from me. Shit.

"Sorry," I grunted gruffly.

We lapsed into silence.

"Jacob?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Yes?"

"Who…Did you…How long were you there waiting?"

I hesitated. "The whole time."

"Oh." She looked out the window into the rain. "So you heard everything?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you…come in?"

"You didn't need me."

"Yes I did."

My heart soared at those three words. She needed me. The rain pattered harder on the little car, filling the silence that opened up between us again.

"If it tried anything…we were there. It knew we were there." My voice seemed too loud.

"We?" Kathleen still couldn't manage above a whisper.

"Sam and I."

"That…_that_ was Sam?"

"…Yes."

I glanced at her. She was staring at the dashboard blankly. I looked back onto the road. We were almost to Emily's. She was almost safe.

"Sam's…a wolf."

"…Yes."

"He's married to Emily."

"Yes."

"And she's human."

"Yes."

"Is Sam…" She seemed to choke mid question. She swallowed hard. "Is Sam…always…a wolf?"

"No."

I chanced a look at her. Her eyes left the dashboard momentarily and caught mine. In the second I held them, I tried to relay everything to her. She broke the look and stared at her hands in her lap. I faced forward again.

"But that wasn't the wolf from the cliffs."

"No it wasn't."

"So there's more? More wolves than just the three I've seen?"

"Four you've seen," I corrected.

"Yes," she said hollowly. "Yes, that…that would be four now, wouldn't it?"

"Yes."

"How many more?"

"Six. There are ten in total." I grimaced. "But that's subject to change."

"How?"

"On how long your…friend from the forest decides to stay," I growled.

The silence appeared again, this time longer than before. Finally, she spoke.

"When you…when you and Sam were waiting…" She stopped again.

"Yes?"

"I heard growling."

"You did?"

"Yes. Was that Sam?"

"Some of it was," I said slowly.

"And the rest?"

"Wasn't."

Emily's little grey house bloomed in front of the car. I pulled up close to the door and stopped the car.

"Jacob?" She said suddenly.

"Yes?" My hand was on the door handle.

"It was only you and Sam in the forest, wasn't it?"

"Yes it was."

I opened the door. She stared forward silently as I stepped out and walked around. I opened her door and offered her a hand. She took it slowly. I pulled her out of the car and led her quietly toward the house.

Just before we got under the cover of the patio, she stopped short.

"Jacob?" She had to yell over a sudden clap of thunder.

I turned to her. She was looking up at me, rain dripping down her upturned face. Her hair, still pulled back in its nightly ponytail, was sleek from the damp and curling tightly where it hung free. Her thin pajamas were beginning to stick to her. She shivered.

"Are you…a shapeshifter?"

"…Yes."

...

A/N: Please review. Thanks.


	17. Revelation

A/N: Sorry for not posting last week like I said I would. Family went on a spontaneous out-of-state trip and I didn't have the time. This chapter is unbetaed but SUPERLONG to make up for it!

And by the way, last chapter was the last Jacob POV for a while.

...

Chapter 17: Revelation

I should have gone to medical school.

If I had gone to medical school, I'd be sitting in a quiet dorm room, studying for my MCATs. I'd be applying for medical schools. I certainly would not be standing in the rain on a Native American reservation asking the man I had been staying with for the past two weeks if he could turn into a giant, radioactive wolf.

And if the world actually made sense, he would have said no.

But no.

Jacob Black was a shapeshifter.

And there were such things as vampires.

I barely felt Jacob squeeze my hand. Somehow the rain stopped pounding on my throbbing head. I became simultaneously warmer and cooler; Jacob had dragged me inside the little grey house and the ceiling fan was making me realize just how wet my clothes were.

Jacob, on the other hand, was perfectly dry and was watching me closely.

"Hey Jake!" a female voice called.

My vision started to clear. I was in a small dining room/kitchen area. The woman who had spoke was standing over the stove, whisking something in a bowl. Her skin was a beautiful copper colour. A curtain of coal black hair shook with the vigor, light dancing off the stick straight strands. I was envious; I always wished I could get my hair that sleek and my skin to have even a fraction of her colour.

"Don't stare," Jacob whispered almost inaudibly in my ear.

I didn't even realize I had been. She was gorgeous; it was hard not to.

Then she turned to face us full on.

Oh.

Where her perfect smile should have stretched to her right cheek, it was harshly dragged down into a horrible scowl by a thick, red, long-healed scar. Another identical scar pulled on the corner of her dark, almond shaped eye. A third stretched from hairline to chin.

I dropped my eyes suddenly, praying that I didn't blush.

"Is this Kathleen?" she spoke again.

I looked up again, making sure to focus on the left side of her face.

"Yes." My voice sounded as meek as I felt.

In a second, I was wrapped up in a hug. I froze involuntarily. This girl, who was so unfairly disfigured by God knew what, was hugging me within seconds of knowing me. And a half-wolf man was standing there watching us. And somewhere in the trees, an undead…thing lurked, wanting to suck my blood.

"God, you're soaked!" the girl laughed, the sound bubbling effortlessly out of her. She held me at arm's length and studied me. "I think I've got something that'll fit you. Come on!" She extended a thin, shapely hand to me. I took it, noticing that she was of normal temperature. It felt weird; I was just getting used to Jacob's heat.

She finally stopped in a large, open bedroom. A white four-poster bed sat in the very middle of the room. The girl let go of my hand and crouched down in front of a small dresser. She pulled out a pair of shorts and a long sleeved shirt.

"Here, these should fit you," she turned and handed me the clothes.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

"Just drop your wet clothes in the bathroom. Next door down the hall on your left. I'm Emily, by the way." She smiled again.

"Nice to meet you." I managed a smile.

"You too." As she walked out, I heard her mutter, "Finally."

I frowned at the closing door. What did that mean, 'finally'? My paranoia kicked in. How did she know me? Was someone talking about me?

It clicked quickly. Jacob. It had to be him. Embry was more reserved and, as talkative Quil was, he didn't strike me as a gossiper. I wondered idly about what all Jacob could have said and to whom else he might have talked. How many people on La Push knew me? Or rather, knew about me? Because I still didn't know anyone outside Billy and the trio.

As quickly as I had been swept up and bombarded by new people, I was alone. Everything was moving too fast. In less than an hour, the sleepy little reservation that I was just becoming unnaturally comfortable with had transformed into a clouded and confusing whirlwind.

A car roared outside. Two strides put me in front of the open window. A somewhat familiar black Ford truck rumbled up the dirt drive. It pulled up beside Jacob's Rabbit. Immediately, the driver's side door burst open and a figure jumped out. It ran impossibly fast to the passenger side and wrenched it open. The figure bent inside; after half a minute, it straightened, carrying a small child.

This would have to be Quil. But why did he have Claire?

Two more figures jumped out of the bed of the truck. I guessed one of them was Embry; I rarely saw one without the other. The other boy looked scarily similar to the two I knew as well as Jacob: same russet colouring, same long, molded muscles, same shoddy, threadbare, minimal clothing. However, I could see his scowl from here. He didn't have the trio's natural ease and happiness.

He was arguing vehemently with Embry, who looked tired and uncharacteristically irritated. He looked up at the house and said something. The scowler followed Embry's gaze. I stepped away from the window nervously; I felt weird, like I was prying.

I bit my lip, holding back a giggle. Like that had stopped me before.

I heard another rumble, louder this time. I stepped back to the window. Quil, Claire, Embry, and the unknown man were gone. I saw a little hatchback rattle up the drive as well, more rust than paint. A second truck, dinged and dented so severely that it almost looked polka-dotted, backfired as it loomed over the hill. It was obviously following the hatchback.

What the hell? Why were all these people coming here?

Two people, a man and a woman, ducked out of the ancient hatchback. Their sheer size made the tiny vehicle look like a clown car; I couldn't imagine how they folded themselves into the compact and still managed to drive.

The woman intrigued me. The man looked like the other Quileute men I had met, if maybe slightly more gangly. The woman toed that line between feminine beauty and masculine brawn. She was exactly how I pictured Homer's Amazon warrior women in the Iliad: tall, exotically beautiful, fearless, stubborn, and strong. Her raven hair glistened in the pale sunlight, draping over broad shoulders. She was slender but obviously incredibly fit; her muscles weren't as ostentatious as the boys, but I knew they were there. Instinctually, I knew she was an anomaly all to herself in a world of shapeshifters and vampires.

In my musings, the dinged trunk pulled up beside the hatchback; the area in front of Emily's house was crowding quickly. I vaguely noticed two boys tumbling out. All I had time to notice was that they looked just the same as the other men who were gathering in the room down the hall.

A knock sounded on the door.

"Hon?" Jacob's husky voice made my heart jump into my throat. Damn this effect he had on me! It seemed so long ago that we had first flirted in his garage while he fixed the Bus. Somehow I had allowed myself to be distracted by life and Randall. Somehow, I had managed to cushion his effect on my nervous system. But the whirlwind that was sweeping La Push was also rousing the old flustered feeling I got whenever he was around.

"Yes?" I managed to squeak.

"You ok, sweetheart?"

Sweetheart.

He called me sweetheart.

My heart fluttered unattractively.

"Yes!" I squeaked again. I just knew he was smirking arrogantly.

"Just wanted to make sure you were still alive." The double meaning of that struck me hard. My life really was in danger. I shoved it down quickly.

"I'll be out in a minute!" I called, already pulling off my soaked t-shirt.

"Good. There are some people that want to talk to you."

"Oh," was all I could manage. So that's why clones were attacking Emily's house. They wanted to talk to me. I got the overwhelming urge to just stay in this airy bedroom until they all left.

"Kathleen?"

Crap. He was waiting for me.

"Do I have to?" I winced at the obvious whine in my voice. Jacob chuckled audibly that time.

"Yes, darling. You do." His rumbling voice simultaneously soothed me and excited me. I couldn't stall any longer. I finished changing and checked my reflection in the mirror by the dresser.

Ew.

My hair was already starting to frizz out from the humidity. My face was pallid and somewhat splotchy. I hadn't bothered with makeup as I only meant to stay in the forest for a little while. Now that I was about to face a crowd of Jacob's…were they friends? I knew Quil and Embry were, but I hadn't met anyone else. Family wasn't quite right, even though they all looked strangely similar.

God, what I would give for some foundation and mascara.

Instead, I rubbed my cheeks fervently, trying to get some colour in them. I smoothed down my ponytail, trying to get the sleekness that was so natural for Emily. Fruitless. I sighed as I gathered up my wet clothes and shoes. I was no natural beauty like the exotic Quileutes.

I juggled my things to one arm as I reached for the handle. It turned under my hand and Jacob was there, beaming down at me. My heart leapt and I couldn't help but smile. Behind him, I could hear the indistinct din of many voices muttering and dishes clattering. The storm lay ahead, but for now here was my ray of light and hope.

"You look beautiful," Jacob murmured.

"Liar," I accused, my eyes trying to peer over his hulking build to get a glimpse at what I was in store for.

I felt my load lighten. Jacob had taken my things in one arm. His other snaked around my waist. In some other time, I would have protested, but right now I needed his light and his warmth.

"You do," he insisted quietly. He tossed my things sideways into a room then looked at me soberly. "You always look beautiful to me."

I couldn't decide whether to swoon or taunt him for the corniness. I split the difference and said nothing. I tugged on the sleeves of Emily's shirt and hugged my arms closer to me. Jacob's arm pulled me tighter to him. I relaxed in the warmth and let him move me. His other arm wrapped around my back and I fell weakly forward into him, my face burrowing into his burning torso.

Jacob Black was hugging me.

And for once in my life, I wholeheartedly wanted to be there with him. There, curled up tightly in his arms as his natural heat radiated from all directions, warming me and making me feel more secure than any blanket ever could. I could feel his muscles rippling as he held me tighter, hear his steady heartbeat blending with his deep breaths, smell his green and earthy scent. I closed my eyes to revel in him. My senses were blissfully overloaded with Jacob Black.

Too soon he let go. The soothing heartbeat in my ear disappeared. His strong grip moved from my waist to my shoulders He pushed me back to arm's length, my jellied legs barely cooperating. Blearily, I opened my eyes and looked up at him. His face was filled with an unfathomable amount of love and tenderness, all of which was directed toward me. He looked as if the world began and ended with me, that it pained him to even this arm's length away from me. It was the look you only found in classic Hollywood black and white films, back when love was real and not some farce filled with road trips and dick jokes. I half expected strings to swell dramatically as he delivered a heartfelt admission of undying love then swept me up for a passionate kiss. Or maybe that was what I wanted to happen.

A warning alarm tried to go off. I mentally smashed it with a hammer. This moment was too perfect and I didn't know if it would ever happen again.

"You'll be fine," his enchanting voice scratched from what I hoped was emotion. I didn't trust my own throat so I nodded. He turned me around and, placing an impossibly warm hand on the small of my back, pushed me into the kitchen.

For some reason, I had expected the kitchen to be dark and cold. I expected to be pushed into a howling storm, alone and frightened while hulking, menacing clones of enraged Jacobs circled around me for the kill. I expected a frozen, dusky version of hell.

Well I was right on the hell part. The kitchen was a furnace and a crowded one at that. All the windows had been thrown open and the door was gaping open. The screen door, which had obviously gone through numerous repairs, rattled in its track as the storm blew hard against the little house. The wind was doing nothing to satiate the burning temperature inside.

"Kathleen!" I heard Quil's voice exclaim seconds before I was engulfed in a second pair of strong, burning arms. My feet left the ground and the room spun briefly. It was a marvel my feet weren't knocking into anything.

"Put her down," I heard Jacob's voice command. My feet returned to the ground immediately though Quil's touch didn't let go until I was steadied.

"I'm so glad you finally know!" Quil burst excitedly.

"'Know'?" My brain was still spinning.

"This was the secret," I heard Embry's quiet voice. Quil sidestepped so that I could see Embry leaning against the counter beside the stove. He was looking at me empathetically. "This was what Jacob was keeping from you. What we were all keeping from you."

"You all…" I trailed, not knowing exactly where I was going with this. "What?"

"You_ did_ tell her?" Quil half stated.

I looked up at Jacob, who was frowned ever so slightly at me.

"C'mon Kathleen," he moaned. "You just said it."

It hit me as if I ran into the wall. I gasped slightly.

"Embry, you…" My eyes tore over to the lanky boy. He nodded. "And Quil…" Quil grinned. "All of you, you're…"

The word caught in my throat. I was in a room full of shapeshifters.

"Yeah, she's real perceptive, Jake," I heard one of the boys at the table murmur. Jacob growled. A ladle flew from his giant hand toward the speaker. The boy ducked just in time; the ladle slammed into the wall, leaving a small dent with a puncture where it hit.

"Hey, hey!" Emily shouted. "No throwing!"

Jacob vibrated gently as he seethed. I heard someone chuckle.

I looked around the kitchen. A large round table sat not a foot away from me, four bodies squished around it. The only one I recognized was Claire. She was perched on top of a pile of phone books eating a small plate of pancakes drenched in syrup. Quil squeezed by and kneeled down beside her.

The woman I had seen get out of the hatchback was leaning against the wall beside the table. Beside her was the gangly man who had arrived with her. They looked similar, but not in the way all these people looked alike. These two were undoubtedly related, most likely brother and sister. However, their expressions couldn't have contrasted further. She was glaring at me, judging me; he was smiling broadly, his bright eyes darting from me to Jacob repeatedly. I had passed his approval; to her, I was still suspect.

My gaze slid back to the table. I saw the woman's judgmental scowl reflected in the other three boys who sat there. I didn't know them, but apparently they knew me. My stomach quaked. How could I have already pissed them off?

The door slammed open and I heard laughter. Yet another muscular boy came in, hand in hand with a third girl. They were smiling at each other broadly, infinite and immeasurable amounts of love being expressed in that gaze. I had to look away; the adoration they had for each other was too much to handle.

"Hey Kim, Jared," I heard Emily's pleasant voice pipe up. "Hungry?"

"Starved. Sam should be here in a second, by the way," the boy reported.

"I'm here," another voice said.

I looked up to see yet another brawny, strapping man duck into the kitchen. The tone of the room shifted immediately. This was Sam; this was their leader. If I could have felt smaller in that kitchen, I would have.

Jared and Kim sidestepped from the door immediately to let him pass. Jacob shifted as well, moving his hand from my back to my hip so he could pull me against him, out of the way. Sam walked in their wake straight up to Emily, who had finally turned away from her stove. She was beaming radiantly at him. In a swift move, Sam took her in the most intimate embrace I knew I would ever experience. He ducked down and kissed her scars tenderly, his lips touching the unjustified, permanent grimace.

It was too much for me. Too much love. I sidled closer to Jacob, wishing I could disappear. He tightened his grip on me, squeezing my hip in what I hoped was a reassuring manner.

Sam finally turned away from his wife and looked at me. I straightened under his gaze although I really wanted to shrink into the floor. "Have you been introduced to everyone yet?" His voice was deep, though not as husky as Jacob's.

I shook my head slowly, not trusting my throat.

Sam's face split into a smile. "You guys couldn't have even handled that while I chased down a leech?" he joked.

The kitchen lightened. A few people laughed.

"Jacob, would you like to do the honors?" Sam asked as Emily handed him a plate of food.

"Sure." I felt Jacob relax beside me. "You know Emily and that's Sam. Obviously." Sam smiled, taking a bite of egg. I felt Jacob push me forward toward the table. "You know Quil and Claire. And Embry." The three mentioned smiled at me pleasantly. "Beside Quil is Paul." The scowler I had seen from the bedroom window. "Beside Paul are Brady and Collin." The two from the dented pickup. "Leaning against the wall is Leah Clearwater and her brother Seth." The two from the hatchback, the girl who sparked my curiosity and the boy who apparently loved me already. "And the couple who just came in are Jared and Kim."

"And they're all…" I couldn't speak above a whisper.

"No, no." Jacob smiled for the first time since we entered the kitchen. "Just the guys. And Leah. Leah's the only girl shapeshifter in the history of the tribe."

"Oh."

"Are you hungry?" Emily spoke up. I turned to her; she was holding a plate loaded with food. "If you are, better eat now before the wolves get the idea for seconds."

Suddenly, I was painfully aware of the gnawing feeling in my stomach. I couldn't tell if it was from hunger or from nerves, but I knew food wouldn't hurt. I took the plate gratefully. Jacob magically procured a chair, set it beside Claire, and pushed me into it. Emily handed me a fork and I loaded it up with egg. One bite calmed the gnawing into a mild niggling sensation. I was acutely aware of Jacob leaning on the back of my chair; I was thankful he was staying so close. I knew I was going to need him.

Behind me, Sam cleared his throat. "Well, you all aren't missing school just so Kathleen can have breakfast with us. Let's get this meeting underway."

The tension in the kitchen was back. Jacob set a glass of orange juice beside my plate and placed a comforting hand on my back. It wasn't enough to quell the resurgence of nerves Sam's words had caused but I appreciated the gesture.

"Did you get the leech?" I heard Jacob ask quickly.

I looked up to see Sam shake his head slowly.

"Too fast. It ran out of the territory, away from Forks."

"Why didn't you go after it?"

"It left the territory, Jake." Sam's voice became smooth. He talked to Jacob as if he were stupid. "And besides, I knew Kathleen was here waiting."

I frowned at my plate. Sam's tone made my anger bubble toward the surface. Jacob wasn't stupid. How dare anyone speak to him like that? "If it's a matter of me, I'd rather you kept went after Randall. Screw me, he's the biggest threat right now."

Sam looked at me curiously, as if he were sizing me up.

"Right now it's more important for you to know what you're up against. What we're all up against," he said. I could hear the same patience in his tone that he had used with Jacob. I bristled further, my old distaste for authority surging forth.

"Well if it's all the same to you, it's my neck on the line. So maybe it'd be good for _me_ to have some say on what happens with my mortality!" I bit rashly.

I felt a collective wince of the people in the kitchen. Apparently challenging this authority was the highest taboo. However, I only felt slight remorse.

"That's why you're here," Sam finally said. His voice was even, the perfect mirror of rationality and peace. The sound still twanged my nerves. "We're the ones who are going to protect you."

"Do I have a say in the matter?" I hissed. What the hell was I saying? Was I actually contesting an offer of safety?

"No," was the simple reply. It came from Jacob. I glanced at him. His eyes were hard. Odd, I didn't feel the need to rebuke his words.

"You're part of the pack now," Sam added.

"What if I don't want to be?" I obviously had no trouble attacking him. In fact, I couldn't stop. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Paul regard me with a cocked eyebrow. Leah too looked mildly intrigued at my aggressiveness toward Sam.

"You're free to leave," Sam said.

I looked at him. His face was clear. He wasn't going to stop me if I made the move to leave. I was sorely tempted to do just that, just to assert the fact that he had no power over me. I had dropped the fork and was braced to stand when my eyes slid to Jacob. His warm bottomless eyes were begging, pleading for me to stay. I swore his lip even trembled. I hesitated. Had my empty, meaningless words really cut him so deep?

I couldn't do it. I relaxed back down into my chair, staring stonily forward. I took another bite of my breakfast, the food like sawdust in my mouth. Sam took it as an invitation to continue.

"So we have another vampire lurking around and this time it's after one of our own."

I opened my mouth to protest his words, but quickly decided against it. If he the need to be noble and risk his neck for me, then he could bloody well go ahead. Maybe the leader of a radioactive wolf pack would distract Randall long enough for me to get out of town.

"But it's got nothing to do with the Cullens, does it?" Seth's voice sounded strangely anxious.

Sam shook his head. "Not related in anyway. Except…you know…"

Several people nodded knowingly. I frowned in confusion.

"The Cullens?" I said. Seconds later, I got it. "The Cullens were vampires?" I whispered.

"Well, technically they still _are_…" Jared smirked. Kim elbowed him sharply. It didn't seem to faze him; his smirk grew wider.

I shuddered. To think, a family of vampires used to live in town. Among people.

"Wait, how…?"

"They were vegetarian vampires. They didn't bite humans," Jacob said softly.

"Or so they claimed," Paul huffed. Jacob threw him a dark look.

"Bella," I said softly. "They bit Bella, didn't they?"

"We don't know…" Emily started to say, but Jacob cut her off.

"They did. She's…she's a vampire now."

I looked up at Jacob. He looked sad, as if he had lost a favourite plaything and didn't know how to get it back.

"Sorry, man," someone said.

The rest of the kitchen murmured their apologies and regrets to Bella's fate. It wasn't helping Jacob; I could see that. Wordlessly, I placed a cool hand on Jacob's warm one. It looked so small compared to his. He looked down at me and smiled. It wasn't his normal beam that brightened my mood, nor was it the cheeky smirk that made me roll my eyes and bite back laughter. This was a not-quite smile, a smile that didn't quell the depression in his deep brown eyes. It was a smile that told me that he would be fine, but this wound could never disappear completely. It would be like Emily's scars: healed but always visible.

In that instant I hated Bella more than I had ever hated anything in my life. She had hurt my Jacob. She had extinguished my ray of sunshine. I wanted her to suffer. I wanted her to feel the pain he felt. I wanted her dead, gone, extinguished. I prayed the Cullens never returned.

"So…" I needed to get back on topic. Away from the Cullens and Bella, anything that would prolong Jacob's hurt. "Why me? I mean, I can't do anything. I'm not exactly a threatening person." Especially to an undead vampire who was clearly stronger and faster than me.

"I've got a theory," Jared spoke up again.

Everyone looked at him expectantly, including me. I certainly didn't have any answers.

"You first saw the parasite in the forest, right?" he said. I nodded. "Brady said his eyes were nearly black, which meant he was thirsty."

"But if he was thirsty, why didn't he just take her out then?" Leah asked. I heard Jacob growl behind me. She looked at him innocently. "What? She just said she wasn't a threatening person. I bet even I could take her without shifting."

I knew she was right.

"I'm getting to that," Jared interrupted before Jacob could say anything. "Remember the fight with the newborns? They couldn't smell Bella if Jake was around?" There were a few nods, even a few grins in memory. "And Brady, even you said you couldn't smell anything but leech in the forest."

I looked at Brady. He was hunched over like a puppy being scolded. He nodded meekly, his eyes refusing to look anywhere but a small speck on the floor.

"Well, maybe it's the same with this leech? Maybe he couldn't smell you because Brady was nearby."

"That's right," I said softly. Twelve eyes looked at me. "Um, he said so on the cliffs. Randall. He said the pup had masked my scent. He said…" I swallowed hard. "He said he should have taken me then."

Silence rang out loud in the tiny room. Even the storm abated for a few moments.

"That's it then." Jared's voice sounded loud. "Maybe the leech is trying to make up for the forest. He didn't bite you then when he should have."

"He's trying to rectify his mistake," Embry's soft voice chimed in. Quil nodded gravely.

Thunder boomed menacingly outside. I jumped and shivered.

"That's not going to happen." Jacob's voice was firm. I felt his strong hand curl over my shoulder protectively. "I'm not going to let that happen."

"None of us are going to let that happen," Sam added.

I was still watching Brady. He must have felt my gaze because his eyes flicked up nervously.

"Thank you," I said. Brady straightened, his eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"No need to thank us," Sam started.

"Not you," I said brusquely. I caught a smirk on Leah's face. "Him," I nodded to Brady. Brady's eyebrows knotted further. "You saved my life."

"Not intentionally," Jacob muttered behind me. Brady ducked his head again.

"But he _did_," I insisted. "Doesn't matter now what his intentions were. If he hadn't tried to…kill me, I'd be dead."

Brady said nothing. Nothing had to be said to that. It was fact and we all knew it.

I knew the meeting wasn't over, but I needed out. I needed air. I started to push away from the table, but hesitated. I looked at Sam.

"Do you – do you mind if I go outside?" I mumbled, hating the fact that I suddenly felt like I needed permission. His dark eyes, so unlike Jacob's, searched my face for a long minute before nodding. I managed a smile and pushed all the way back.

The chair bumped into Jacob. I muttered a quick apology as I stood up, not looking him in the eye. I stumbled roughly to the door. Somehow, Emily was already there, holding a jacket.

"It's ok," she whispered. "It's a lot to take in. I understand."

I looked up at her. The unscarred half of her face was empathetic as she handed me the jacket. I took it gratefully and managed a smile.

"Kathleen?"

I looked behind me to see Sam standing in the middle of the room. He was considering me sternly. Behind him, I could see Jacob watching me carefully.

"You can't tell anyone," he commanded. "You can't publish anything about the pack."

I paused, my hand holding the screen door half open. My eyes slid from Jacob to the rest of the shapeshifters and back to Sam.

"Who's going to believe me?" I whispered thickly as I stepped into the drizzle.

...

A/N: Please review. Thanks.


	18. Hard to Say I'm Sorry

A/N: Partially edited and reposted for your benefit. Apologies again for the lateness.

This chapter is dedicated to **UnspokenFaith**, whom I had in mind when writing the scene in the forest. Hope you love it!

Also, FUN FACT! this story is now officially 100+ pages of single spaced goodness in Word.

Without further ado...

...

Ch. 18: Hard to Say I'm Sorry

As the screen door slammed behind me, I could feel the storm brewing again. Not outside, but in the kitchen. I was on the edge of the storm and I did not want to be sucked back in. I needed some peace.

But how to get away?

The voices started rising, getting louder. Jacob was pissed. Someone was speaking gently to him; he wasn't having it. Part of me wanted to go back in and jump to his defense. Actually to be honest, it was a rather large part. But more niggling was the feeling that this was all becoming a bit too much in a very small amount of time. And I knew that if I went back in, that suffocating/drowning feel would come back.

I hopped down the stairs and straight into a mud puddle. I whined quietly and tried to wipe the mud onto the grass. Instead of coming off, the mud acted like super glue, attracting every grass clipping in the area. Gross. And my feet itched like mad. Why hadn't I kept my shoes? Trying to ignore the squelching, I started to pace as I strategized. Walking was out; I only had a faint idea of where I was going, no shoes, and nothing but bad luck when it came to being alone in La Push. I couldn't call anyone; in my haste to meet Randall, I had forgotten to grab my phone. Which, in retrospect, was probably the stupidest move of my life. Honestly, what if Randall had eaten me?

Ok, in retrospect to that retrospect, if Randall had eaten me, I probably wouldn't be in a state to use a phone. But it's the principle of the matter.

So it was either stand out here like an idiot and keep pacing. Which wasn't too much fun. Or I could face the storm and ask for a ride home.

Suddenly, pacing didn't sound so bad.

But at some point they had to come out.

What then?

As if on cue, Jacob's voice got louder. I could see his silhouette in the screen of the door. I didn't think. I booked it to the side of the house, wincing as my feet splashed loudly in the yard. I leaned against the side of the house, praying that whatever he was so angry about distracted him from my incredibly obvious trail.

"I don't want to talk anymore," I heard Jacob seethe as screen door flew open. Jacob stormed out, throwing the door closed behind him. At the last possible second, a russet hand caught the door. Embry slinked out quickly and caught Jacob's elbow, right before he was about to jump off the porch.

"Jake, wait," Embry said. Jacob bucked and tried to shake Embry off.

"I said," Jacob grunted "I don't want to talk anymore." With one large motion, Jacob sent Embry flying into the siding, which cracked loudly. I could hear the collective wince of the others in the kitchen; they were listening too.

"Jake, please." Embry winced as he tried to stand. "Just…give her some time."

"You don't think I know what she needs?" Jacob turned, ferociously towering over Embry.

"I – I never said that."

"Are you trying to tell me what my imprint needs?" His voice was low, terrible. I could feel myself start to tremble; I had never seen him so scary.

"No…but…" Embry was backpedaling frantically. "Remember how you felt when you changed? When you found out that all the legends were true? You were completely terrified. You thought you were a monster. We all did." Embry qualified.

Jacob was silent. He turned away quickly, facing the yard. I exhale softly, watching Embry struggle to his feet as he continued.

"Well, multiply that by a hundred. That's got to be how she felt. Kathleen didn't know the legends."

"Yes she did," Jacob growled. "I told them to her. Over and over."

"She didn't know them like you and I and the rest of the pack did. She didn't grow up on them."

Jacob stayed silent.

"You needed time – we all needed time – to adjust. We gave it to each other. Shouldn't you do the same for her?"

Jacob hesitated. Then shook his head.

"No." His voice was low. "This is different. She's my imprint. She understands. She's got to. Or…she will. Really soon." He made to jump again.

"Jake!" Embry yelled. He reached out and caught Jacob around the middle, dragging him back. They crashed into each other. Jacob growled. The sound of skin hitting skin. Except harder. Fist hitting muscle and bone. No, even harder than that.

I heard Embry grunt. Gasp. But he held tight onto Jacob. He stood slowly, all the while keeping hold of Jake, who was growling curses.

"Jake…" Embry tried to rationalize again but Jacob yelled over him.

"You don't get it! She's going to leave!" he howled.

"Jake, you're being irrational…"

"I'm going to lose her."

"Jake, calm d – "

"Embry, LET GO OF ME!"

Suddenly, Embry's face skewered up into a snarl. He took Jacob's shoulders with both his hands and whirled him around so forcefully that Jacob's feet left the ground.

"Jacob, CALM DOWN." His uncharacteristic growl seemed to shake the ground. I bit my finger hard to keep from screaming. They were both terrible. Horrible. Monsters.

No, not monsters. But spine-chilling, hair-raising, petrifyingly fearsome all the same. And it only got worse.

Because Jacob shut up but he certainly didn't calm down; a violent tremor shook through his body and his lips curled back, bearing his brilliant white teeth.

"Make me," Jacob seethed.

"If you go after Kathleen like this, you're going to change right in front of her. Give me your keys."

Embry held out his hand; Jacob stared him down. When it became obvious that Jacob was not going to hand over the keys, Embry made a grab for them.

Something snapped. Something roared. One second, Embry was trying to wrestle he keys out of Jacob's hands and the next, he was hunched over, grabbing his side and looking at Jacob in horror. Jacob's body was lengthening. He contorted into shapes I didn't know possible, the popping of his bones and joints echoing off the encroaching forest like BB gun fire. His back curved, forcing him to hunch over. I got a glimpse of his face. He didn't look in pain; he looked steely, determined. Before he was forced to all fours, he leapt off Emily's porch, launching himself far into the air and far into the yard.

I blinked and the russet brown wolf was standing where Jacob should have landed. It hesitated for a split second before taking off down the road and into the forest. By the time my rationality returned, it was gone.

"Embry!" I screamed. I dashed out into the yard. The boy tried to straighten, wincing as he did. I flew up the stairs and grabbed his elbow, helping him up.

"I'm fine," he groaned, grasping for the railing.

The door flew open again. Quil dashed out.

"Forest?" he asked. Embry nodded, still clutching his side.

"Quil, help me get him inside." I tried to sling Embry's good arm over my shoulder, but the boy wasn't having it.

Neither was Quil. "Meet me at the Black's," he said before ripping off his shirt and bolting into the forest after the wolf. After...Jacob.

"Grab the keys," Embry grunted.

"No, we have to get you inside. You're hurt."

"Not for long," he muttered. I tried to help him inside, but he wouldn't budge. "Go grab the keys."

"What keys?"

Embry pointed into the yard. I glanced at him quizzically. When I was sure that he could support himself on the railing, I walked toward where he pointed. Scattered in the mud were bits of cloth. Black cloth. I frowned. Then it dawned on me.

Jacob's shorts.

"Got 'em?" Embry called. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a glint of metal. I fished the keys out of a patch of wet grass. I was about to take them to him, but Embry was already walking down the porch steps.

I felt my mouth fall open. If Embry saw, he paid no attention. He took the keys and placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me toward the Rabbit. Wordlessly, he opened the door for me and waited for me to get in.

I didn't budge.

"Weren't you…?"

Embry rolled his eyes. He lightly pushed me in the car and shut the door behind me. The second he was in the driver's seat, I peeked at his shirt.

The side was shredding where Jacob had lashed out at him, but there was no wound. There was only a thin white scar that seemed to be disappearing before my eyes.

"How…?"

"Talk to Jacob," Embry said stiffly as backed the car out of its spot.

"I don't want to talk to Jacob."

Embry sighed as he started driving down the road. The cabin fell into silence. The car rolled silently through the dripping Pacific coat. I looked out the window, trying to figure out where he was taking me and how long it might take. No clues. I sighed and leaned my head on the glass. Embry glanced at me sideways, but his eyes quickly returned to the road. More silence. My eyes flitted to his side, where he had been hurt. The scar was starting to fade. I frowned. Embry shifted. I looked away quickly.

My eyes landed on the radio. Radio. Music. I flew forward and slammed my hand against it, desperate for something to cut the silence. The immediacy of my action hit me suddenly and I leaned back slowly against my seat, trying to counteract my craziness. I glanced at Embry. He was watching me still, cautious. We both looked away, him to the road and me to my hands. The DJ stopped talking and 'Hard For Me To Say I'm Sorry' crackled over the airwaves. I stifled a groan and slumped down. A smile twinged at Embry's mouth; obviously he too got the irony. It was too much for me. I cranked the volume down with a swipe and aimed my grimace out the window.

My fingers drummed on the windowframe. I let my hand drop. It hit the hand crank for the window. And just like that the warm cabin started to get unbearably hot. I glanced at Embry again. Must be him. Must be a...werewolf thing.

"Er…" my voice cracked through the silence. Embry didn't move except to look at me sideways. I gestured to the window. "Do you mind…?" Embry shrugged. I rolled the window down and inhaled. Very damp but at least it was fresh and cool. I crossed my legs. Interlinked my fingers in my lap. Too formal. Uncrossed my legs. Leaned on my elbow. Put one foot on the seat. No. One foot on the dashboard. Slumped down in my seat. Sighed. No. Stretched both legs out and crossed my ankles. Looked at my nails. Looked at Embry's side again. Looked down immediately. Sat up. Crossed my legs again.

"Kathleen."

Looked at Embry. This time in his face. He looked me in the eyes for the first time.

"Stop fidgeting."

I smiled weakly. "Sorry." I looked down. "I just…I hate...small towns."

"Oh?"

"I get bored. Not that you all are boring." I laughed nervously. "No, you lot are far from boring. Most exciting few weeks of my life, what with my mortality constantly being on the line and discovering everyone I've met is a werewolf."

Embry cracked a smile. A real smile. I decided it was time to go for it. I nodded to his side.

"The healing thing. That's a…werewolf thing?"

Embry's smile shrank. "Er, yeah. Werewolf thing."

"Same with the hotness?"

He looked at me weird, a clever, cheeky, almost Jacob-like glint in his eye. I felt my face warm.

"I meant...body heat," I stammered.

"Yeah." We fell silent again. "This really is the kind of thing you should discuss with Jacob."

I fell into a glare. "I told you I don't want to talk to him."

"Why not?"

"Because he…he…"

I blinked a few times. I didn't actually have a good reason. I sighed and looked out the window.

"Because it's all we ever do. All we ever do is talk. And he's always there. He's there when I wake up. He's at breakfast. He comes back at lunch. Until dinner, he's either working on my Bus or we're going to see you or Quil or he's helping with my work. And it's the same after dinner until I go to bed." Too harsh. Too ranting.

"Not that any of that is necessarily bad!" I backtracked. "I love it. I love him and you and Quil. I love sitting in the Bus as he works and just talking. It's easy. It's relaxing. Our conversation flows. It's…natural." Too much gushing.

"Maybe it's the boredom thing. The…not mundane…but…" What was the word? "Repetition. There's no variety. It's getting too predictable."

Embry snorted. "You can't say that here, of all the places you've been, is predictable."

"Touché."

"And if you don't want to talk to Jacob, why can you talk to me?"

I hesitated. Bit my lip. Looked out the window again. "It's different. You're like a brother. I can talk to you about anything."

"You just said you could talk to Jacob easily."

I opened my mouth but the words stopped in my throat. "It's…it's different. I can talk to Jacob about anything. Well...just about anything." I frowned, trying to choose my words. "There's a...hesitation on my part. Him too maybe, I don't know. I'm nervous I guess. I feel like I should…I don't know."

I pulled my knees to my chest and buried my face in my arms. "I'm talking in circles. I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

We fell into silence. A peaceful silence. I glanced out the window. We were still in the middle of nowhere. For as long as we had been driving, we should have ended up somewhere. He must have doubled back and taken the scenic route. A very, very, very scenic route; I had no idea where I was.

This was what I loved about Embry. He wasn't rushing me. He was giving me time. Perhaps he was also giving Jacob time. Which, honestly, was something we both needed.

It solidified.

"We're too alike."

"Me and you?"

"No, me and Jacob. We both act too quickly. We're impulsive. And that gets us in the shit sometimes. And that's when we need you, who's more calm, to step in and cool us down. Jacob and I can talk easily because we know how the other works. We're the same. We're connected in some strange way. And we get along because we both know that we can talk to you easily because you're an easy person to talk to, Embry. You're calm and rational and logical. And you genuinely care about us."

Embry was silent. Then he nodded. With enormous speed, he jerked the wheel forcefully and sent the car spinning in a tight U-turn.. One of his hands flew out to catch me as he accelerated sharply out of the loop, fishtailing slightly.

"What the hell was that?"

"You two have had enough time. You need to talk."

I smiled and looked out the windshield. "Yeah. I guess we do."

…

Embry had barely stopped the car when Quil stuck his head in my open window.

"Took your time, didn't you?" He grinned. "You all right, Kathleen?"

"I'm fine."

"How's Jake?" Embry asked before I could

"Miserable. The second he turned, he realized Kathleen was hiding around the corner – nice job, by the way – " Quil nodded to me, "and he felt horrible with how he treated you, Embry, and that she saw it, so he ran off. Wandered the forest a bit. Looked for the leech – didn't find anything – then wandered back over here to wait for her to come back."

I couldn't help but smile. "He knew I would come back."

"He hoped at least. I've been with him for the last bit. He's getting bad. He's beating himself up. It's like when – " Quil shut up quickly.

"Like what?"

"Like when…" Quil looked at Embry quickly, "…like when…Bella left."

My heart plummeted into my stomach. I had hurt him. I had hurt him just as much as Bella had when I had sworn that I wouldn't. I was just as bad as she was.

"Where is he?" I ripped at the door release.

"Kathleen…he's not himself. He's becoming a wolf."

"Quil, don't you think that, by now, I understand his condition?"

"No," Embry sighed. "Quil means that he's giving into his instincts over his humanity. He's letting his wolf side take over. He did the same when Bella left."

Cue my panic.

"Where _is _he, Quil?" I was halfway out of the car before he pointed to a small grove beside the driveway. I ran in without a thought, my eyes straining for a glimpse of russet fur among the saturated green.

I crashed through the brush, not even bothering to be silent. He had to know I would come. He had to know that I was not Bella. I could never love a vampire; one look at Randall's dead eyes had me more terrified than I had ever been in my life. Yes, he had thrilled me and charmed me, but the charm only ran skin deep. I couldn't even fathom a way that the charm could evolve into anything resembling love.

A low howl echoed off the tree trunks to my right. I turned toward them. Roughly fifty feet later, I spotted a heap of russet fur. I ran up to him and fell on my knees beside him.

"Jacob."

I gently touched his shoulder.

The animal jerked under my hand. A low growl rumbled through out him. I blanched; how far gone was Jake? Had he disappeared completely into the wolf?

Dreading the worst, I slowly leaned down to look in his eyes. They were brown of course, but the usual warmth was dwindling. The menacing intelligence of a feral wolf was overtaking the cheeky empathy of Jake. But it was still there. _He_ was still there.

"Jake, please." My voice was pleading, annoyingly pathetic. "Don't do this. I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I've been difficult but it's…I don't know Jake."

There was a flicker in his eye. I soothed his bristling ruff and looked down at the earthen floor as I continued. "I knew you were keeping a secret from me and it hurt. I thought we were close enough that you didn't have to keep secrets from me. But I get it now." I couldn't help but smile. "And there was no way I could have guessed your secret was that you could turn into a wolf."

He huffed. I tried to assure myself that this was a half laugh from Jacob and not a irritated 'When is she going to shut up so I can bite her face off?' sigh from the wolf.

"And I'm sorry for walking out of the meeting. I just couldn't take it anymore. All those people not trusting me, thinking I'm going to sell you lot out. And Sam…I can't stand his overbearing attitude. I mean, I guess I can understand, him being your leader or whatever. But…couldn't you have picked someone…nicer?"

That time the wolf did bark. The sudden sound made me panic. My hand flew from the wolf's neck and I jumped back, eyes going wide. Had I just committed some cardinal sin by insulting Sam? If the wolf could understand me, did it know I insulted Sam? As territorial as wolves are, according to Joe and Wikipedia, I didn't doubt that a wolf would think twice before going for the jugular if another wolf insulted its Alpha. Was Jake so far gone that he couldn't stop himself from hurting me?

Further, I had seen how angry Jake had been at Emily's. Had that terror been festering all this time I was in the car with Embry? Was I about to fall victim to the same wrath, coupled with the fierce, territorial attitude of an insulted wolf?

The wolf jumped to its paws and turned to face me, its hulking furry frame towering over me. "Please, Jake…" my voice was shaking like it had that morning, like it had on the cliffs. I closed my eyes, praying death would be quick.

There was a sudden fleshy dampness on my knee, coupled with a dull pressure. I frowned slightly. That wasn't blood.

A whine.

I opened one eye.

The wolf had bowed its great head and was nudging my knee with its nose, its eyes looking at me worriedly.

A smile split my face.

Jake.

I could see him now. He was there, emerging from the dark. He was coming back.

"He's happy."

Embry's voice made me jump. He came out from behind a large bush, zipping up his pants as he went. "He wants you to know that he never wanted to keep the secret from you. He wanted to tell you that first night, but Sam ordered him – all of us – to keep you in the dark about the pack. It's been killing him not to tell you everything."

"We should know," Quil interrupted, stepping out from behind an opposite bush. "We've had to listen to his whining for weeks now."

Jacob growled at Quil and barked sharply.

"And," Embry grinned, "he wants you to know that he's totally telling Sam what you said about him."

My stomach quaked, but I was too pleased. I sat up quickly and wrapped my arms around the wolf's neck; he was so tall that the move took me off my knees to a half kneeling-half standing position. I hung there happily, my ear pressed against his neck, listening to his breathing and his heartbeat. So warm. So alive. So real.

Jake extended his neck to pull me up to a full stand. He licked my cheek and gave a barking laugh. I knew I was grinning like an idiot. He was too, his tongue lolling out of his mouth and his tail wagging impossibly hard. I fell into him again, burying my face in his fur. I heard him sigh and my heart raced. I could stay like this with him forever.

"Now comes the hard part. How do we sneak him in the house?"

...

A/N: Phew, that felt good to finish. Bit fluffier than my usual writing, but the moment kinda called for it. I had an alternative, more tense, version of this chapter, but I think I'm going to revamp it and recycle it into a later chapter.

Bit of bad news, I'm going to be swamped with school work from now until the end of April so unfortunately, you all will have to suffer through another long hiatus. I really do hate to do this you all because I know how patient you've been with me and my crazy, erratic schedule, but there is LITERALLY nothing I can do. Good news though: I get out of school in early May so I'll have the summer to work on, regularly update, and most likely finish this story!

Some things I pose to you all: 1) since I write a lot of A/N's and I'm sure not all of you are interested in reading them, I was playing with the thought of posting a behind-the-scenes blog and doing a sort of commentary chapter-by-chapter of this story. Mostly because I really do over think everything I write and I like to pretend some of you care. Would anybody care to read it? 2) might have mentioned this before, but I'm thinking of doing a sequel. It wouldn't come out for a while as I'm still hammering out the plot, but the general idea has formed. Thoughts?

With that, I wish you all a happy St. Paddy's Day! Tell me if you get weirdly excited about the holiday like I do and what your plans are. I'll be celebrating by going to my least favourite class, working, hoping my dining hall has awesome Irish food like last year, and editing my silent film. Yes, I am a party animal, thanks for asking.


	19. Reality Sets Back In

A/N: Still too fluffy for my tastes, but I think i like this better. Sorry for the delay.

...

Ch. 19: Reality Sets Back In

"All right, everyone got the plan?" Quil whispered, his face incredibly determined.

Jacob nodded

"Commence Operation Stair Skulk," Embry whispered back.

I rolled my eyes. Jacob refused to change back since he lost his pants in the transformation. I told him I wouldn't look. He didn't believe me.

I swear, that boy, sometimes…

"Look, why don't I just go upstairs and throw down a pair of shorts?" I tried to suggest again.

"No!" Quil shouted. He checked himself, cleared his throat, and whispered, "No. No, we agreed to go with my plan so we're doing Operation Stair Skulk."

"Fine," I huffed. "I'm going."

I crawled out of the bushes, brushed myself off, and went to the front door. The knob turned under my hand and the door opened to reveal a manic-looking Joe.

"Kat, where the fuck have you been?" he hissed.

"Er…" I glanced to my side. The boys were frantically trying to hide Jacob in the brush, but the wolf was simply too large. I stepped past Joe and went inside, hoping he would follow. "I was out…meeting people."

Well, It wasn't a complete lie, was it? Most of them just weren't…completely…human all the time.

"I've been calling you," Joe said, slamming the door behind him.

I checked my pockets. No phone.

Holy shit. Had I just wandered blindly into the forest after a vampire without a phone? Yes. Yes I had. Dear God I was stupid. Thank God for werewolves.

"Sorry. Do you know if we have orange juice?" I wandered into the kitchen.

"Kathleen!" Joe whined, following me. I glanced over his shoulder. Embry's head was popping over the windowsill. I shook my head slightly.

Joe frowned. "What?" He looked behind him. Luckily, Embry had popped back down just in time. I quickly opened the fridge.

"Yes! Orange juice!" I pulled out the carton and poured some in a glass.

Joe looked back at me and pulled a face, like he was trying to be serious and angry. It didn't look right on him.

"Andrea emailed. She's pissed. Don't you know what day it is?"

"Um…" Had to keep Joe from looking out the windows again, but still motion that it was safe. "Thursday?"

"The 21st."

"So?"

"Of April."

"Yeah?"

I raised the glass to my mouth, still thinking wildly on how to distract him.

"We're supposed to be back in Seattle by the end of the month."

I nearly choked. I started coughing wildly. Joe's face went full concerned and he stepped toward me.

Boom. Idea.

I doubled up and turned so my back was to the door. For added effect, I pretended to brace myself on the counter as I made myself cough harder. Joe placed a comforting hand on my back and I could hear him close to my ear, asking if I was all right. I nodded weakly through the coughing fit. With my spare hand, I gestured to the boys outside.

Yes, yes, I know. Cliché. But it's cliché for a reason. Because out of the corner of my eye, I saw the front door open and a set of familiar furry russet paws go scampering up the stairs.

I slowly started to recover. "That's like…" Cough. "We have…" Cough cough.

"Ten days."

Cough. "Shit." Cough.

"Yeah."

I cleared my throat. "Is there anyway we can, er…push it back later?"

"Not really. We were kinda pushing it with the end of the month deadline as it was. But I've been working on it."

Joe turned suddenly toward the living room, catching Embry and Quil, who had been trying to silently close the door. All three froze.

"Er…damn!" Quil shouted. "We were trying to sneak up on you two." He elbowed Embry, who flinched obviously.

"Er, yeah. Darn it," Embry said half-heartedly. "So…what's all this about ten days?"

"Our project," Joe said, picking up his computer. "We're supposed to have it completed and be back home in ten days.

"Or we can't graduate," I moaned as the realization washed over me. I dropped into a chair in the living room, my heavy head landing in my palms. "Oh God, if we don't finish we fail and we can't graduate."

Quil and Embry exchanged a look.

"Does Jake know?" Quil asked quietly.

"What does Jake have to do with this?" Joe asked.

"Uh…"

"The Bus," Embry covered for Quil. "He still hasn't finished the Bus."

"Then what the hell has he been doing all this time?" Joe blew up.

Oh, only saving my ass several times from supernatural forces that, for you, are purely entertainment. So sorry that he hasn't found time between that and patrols for other bloodthirsty buddies to tighten a few bolts on a rickety old antique.

But of course I didn't say that. Instead I shrugged.

There was a noise on the stairs. Jacob's tanned legs were human again and a frayed pair of shorts was being buttoned around them. The galloping gait slowed exponentially as his head appeared. The perpetual smiled faded as he took in the contents of the room: me and my helpless despair that was probably painfully present on my face, Embry and Quil still by the door, having a silent conversation of meaningful looks, and Joe frantically clicking on his laptop, his eyes manic.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"We have to go home in ten days," I whispered.

I hopedthat saying it quickly would be like ripping off a band-aid. But the look that bloomed over Jacob's face made the sting linger. A mixture of shock morphing into depression, pain, and…almost horror. Like I had just ripped his heart out of his chest and forced him to look at it.

I could hear Joe rattling off plans beside me. I could see the detailed schedule he had written out on his computer. But it was muddled. Jake was the only thing I could focus on. Jake and the pain I was causing him.

This was worse than my threat that morning, to leave. Because this time we both knew it wasn't a threat. I was leaving. And there was nothing either of us could do about it.

" – So, if you can just get the Bus running by Sunday, Jacob – " Jake flinched as Joe said his name, " – we should be able to keep to schedule and make it in time."

"Yeah," Jake muttered hollowly.

"Jake." Conversely, I sounded like I was still choking. I swallowed and looked down at my hands uselessly.

"It doesn't have to be perfect. Just enough to get us to the next town. We can get a real mechanic to look at it there," Joe said.

I glared at him. Jacob didn't seem to have heard the insult. He was turning to go back upstairs, muttering some excuse/goodbye to Embry and Quil.

"Jake, wait." I slowly blundered up the stairs after him.

I had broken his heart. I had come into his life, unwittingly made some sort of impact, created some sort of relationship, or somehow given him the impression that I would, or even could, be in his life for the long term.

That's when a horrible thought flashed across my mind: was I Bella?

My stomach quavered. I had spent all this time insulting her and her actions, berating and torturing her mentally for the anguish she had knowingly caused my Jacob. But hadn't I acted the same way she had? Maybe I hadn't led him on romantically, but I must have made him believe that I would stay. I had made no effort to keep up with my project or remind him that my time on the Rez was always going to be temporary.

But wait. Wouldn't that make him my Bella?

Had I managed to convince myself that this man, whom I'd only know for about a month, was suddenly someone I couldn't, or wouldn't, bear living without? Thus, had I let him unwittingly lead me on to imagine some fantasy world where there was no college, no deadline, no reality outside this little reservation? I mean, I had never even seen Forks, for God's sake.

Jacob's door was closed. I knocked hesitantly. All I knew was that my chest felt trampled and that by the look on his face, Jake was feeling equally miserable. I had to be different from Bella. I had to be there for him. I had to heal him.

"Come on in."

Like usual, the door only opened partway. I slid inside to find him laying motionlessly on his bed. I laid on my stomach beside him, placing a hand on his warm chest. I could feel his heart beating slowly and his chest rising steadily. His warm eyes fixed on me, a hint of sadness still in their depths.

"Are you ok?" His voice rumbled from his body into mine.

"Are you?"

"You've been very stupid, the traveler falling for the one man who's tied to this land." He smiled; it was his usual cheeky smirk, but slightly diminished, like a cloud of sad and seriousness was blocking the brilliance of his carefree joviality. "

I tried to make my reluctant smile coy. "Who says I've fallen for you?"

He sat up on his elbows and caught my lips with his. Warmth blossomed through me, tingling from my face, down my torso, and flowing to all extremities. It was as if I was filling and drowning in his essence, like drowning in him only to be reborn as someone better than I could ever hope to be alone, without his presence.

It was a chaste kiss, but easily the best one I've ever had. His lips receded, but their effect lingered, like an alcoholic buzz. When I finally managed to open my eyes again, he was smiling, the cloud lifting.

"You were saying?" he said cheekily.

I punched him in the chest. It hurt. "Sorry," I muttered, wincing slightly.

"For what, not hurting me?" He took my wounded hand in his soothingly.

"For leaving. For abandoning you like Bella."  
Jake chuckled. "Sweetheart, you're nothing like Bella."

My heart swelled.

"No, I learned from that one. You're not getting away that easy."

I stuttered. "But…But I have to leave."

"I know."

His smirk only widened as I gaped at him. To further stun me, he started kissing my hand, then my neck, my jaw, my cheek, and finally my lips again. I started feeling hot and tingly again. I pulled away before I went under again.

"Jacob Black, what the hell are you talking about?"

He chuckled. "Babe, you don't realize. The second you showed up on my doorstep, I'm tied to you now, Duckling."  
Again with the duckling.

"Huh?"

"I imprinted on you. It's what some of our pack do, how we find the one person we're meant to be with. It happened with Sam and Emily, then Jared and Kim and Quil and Claire. Now it's me and you."

I flashed back to the intense love I had seen between the pairs Jake named. Each had been loads stronger than any relationship I had seen outside of the Rez. I flashed back to the day I had first met Jake. That weird look he had first given me. Shock. Realisation. Determination. The way he had followed me back to the Bus. The way he had been constantly worried about my well being from the very start. Hell, I could barely remember a time since then that he hadn't been near me. The look he had given me this morning as he walked me to the kitchen; that look of unrelenting, unadulterated, unconditional love.

"Oh."

That was all I could say. Oh. The immenseness of his feelings toward me, the notion of a group of people being able to know from first look who they're destined to be with, the reality that all this plus everything I had found out this morning hitting me…all summed up in two letters.

Two letters were apparently not enough for Jacob.

"'Oh'?" He spluttered. "That's all you're going to say? 'Oh'?" He sighed roughly. "I swear to God, for once, I'd like someone to really freak out when I tell them, 'Yeah, I'm a werewolf, a vampire's after you, and oh yeah, you're my soulmate and I've known that from the second we were introduced'."

"Sorry." I tried to smile. "I promise to properly freak out over something someday."

"That'd be refreshing," he grumbled.

…

There were no more secrets.

For the rest of the day, Jacob and I sat on his bed and he told me everything. More about imprinting, the Cullens, the vampire, the pack…any question I could dream up was answered and then some.

I must have forgotten to go into my own room because I woke up Friday morning still half lying on Jacob. A fine film of sweat had settled all over my body even though I was wearing no covers and a fan was going full blast not three feet away from me.

Jacob let out an almighty snore and I had to bite my fist to keep from laughing. Despite that racket, I had never felt more rested. If there was some way to engineer a pillow that mimicked Jacob's deep breathing, warmth, and low heartbeat, I'm sure it would cure even the worst case of insomnia. The only side effect was the near feverish state you woke up in. I carefully climbed out of his bed and darted into the bathroom, turning the shower to its coldest setting.

I showered and dressed quickly, then ran downstairs. Joe was waiting impatiently by the couch, camera bag already on his shoulder.

"Morning!" I chirped, skipping past him and toward the coffee on the table.

"You're in a good mood." He stared at me. He had a point. I was never this cheerful before 10am. I shrugged as I took a sip of coffee.

"I slept really well." I made to sit down and pour myself a bowl of cereal, but Joe caught my arm."

"Uh-uh, we gotta get going. We've got an appointment in Forks."

"Forks?"

"Yeah, remember? That little town where the Caucasians live? Where we were supposed to be weeks ago, but I let you off because of your little Indian boy toy?"

I pursed my lips, trying to hide the stupid smile of pure ecstasy that came over me every time Jake was mentioned.

"Fine. Gimme a second to grab my notebook from upstairs." I shoved my coffee into his hands and went back upstairs. I retrieved my purse from my bedroom and stuffed my phone, notepad, and a pencil inside. I was just about to go back downstairs when music caught my ears.

It was an obnoxious jazzy hip-hop beat, one of those songs that comes free as a cell phone ringtone. I followed it back into Jake's room and found it in a pocket of an old pair of jeans. The number was restricted or blocked. I glanced hesitantly at Jake; he was dead asleep. I opened the phone.

"Um, hello?"

"Jake?"

It was a girl's voice. Or a woman's. It sounded rather mature.

"No, he's asleep," I responded. "Uh, can I take a message?"

"Who is this?"

"Who is this?" I fired back.

The line went dead. I looked at it confusedly, half expecting the annoying tone to start playing again.

The way she spoke had seemed familiar: almost musical but slightly off. The tambre and pattern both charmed and chilled me. Part of me wanted to try calling back; part wanted to dash the phone to the ground so that she couldn't call back. Ever. I didn't know if that was jealously or the slight trepidation that that voice had instilled in me.

I didn't have time to figure out anyway. My own phone buzzed with an irritated text from Joe, telling me to steal Jake's keys to the Spirit. I pulled out my notebook.

_Jake – _I wrote _– _

_Kidnapped by Joe and sentenced to a day in Forks. If I survive the boredom, I'll be back tonight. Love you._

I debated mentioning the phone call. Deciding against it, I ripped out the note and placed it and the phone on the desk. However I did add a postscript:

_ Stole your motorcycle. Don't worry, I'm driving._

With that, I snatched his keys and quietly ran back downstairs and out the door.

…

A/N: Ch. 20 will be up as soon as I decide whether or not a scene will work out. I hope it will.


	20. Scratches

A/N: I am a humongous lying liar and in general just a horrible person. But finally, a chapter emerges from the depths of my hard drive and weakly crawls onto the internet.

…

Ch. 20: Scratches

Joe drove.

Trust me, I argued loudly. I told him over and over that Jake would castrate him if he saw Joe driving the Spirit. But Joe was not having it. So I reluctantly relinquished my rightful spot as driver, making Joe promise to let me drive home. At least this way I got to finish my coffee.

As soon as we got into Forks proper, I was glad I had stayed in La Push all this time. There was simply nothing to DO here. Seriously. At least the Rez had beaches and cliffs and, you know, supernatural protectors. Forks had a grocery store. There's only so many times you can run down aisles in shopping carts before you get mortally bored.

I officially interviewed Captain Swan, who confirmed that there really wasn't much to do in Forks. However, he did tell us about some small places tourists could stay, which we also visited and photographed. It was a quiet town: nice, quaint, and definitely not for me. I nearly danced with glee when the sun started to set and Joe agreed that we had seen all there was to see in Forks. He grumbled all the way home as I happily drove the Sprint back toward La Push.

As soon as we pulled up the Blacks', I could tell something was off. Joe didn't seem to notice; he was on the phone with Andrea, placating her, leaving me to put the bike in the shed.

The shed was silent and dark with impending dusk. The sinking sun cast everything into partial shadows. It was weird; usually, Jacob spent every second of spare daylight working on either the Bus or the Rabbit.

After putting the Sprint in its normal place along the wall, I dialed Embry's cell phone; it was the only number I had. It rang through to voicemail. As I waited for the message to play out, I walked back into the house. Billy was in the living room watching a basketball game. He turned and smiled at me as I hung up the phone.

"How was Forks?" he asked.

"Boring. Where's Jake?"

Billy nodded toward the kitchen, his eyes fixated on the television.

In the kitchen, I saw his back arched over the top of the refrigerator door, obviously looking for more food. I tiptoed behind him and jumped on his back in a hug. I was seconds from kissing him when he yelled.

His large warm hands grabbed my wrists tightly and he flung me off his back. I squeaked in terror, spinning under his hands from the force of his throw.

That's when we both realized something.

I wasn't an attacker. And he wasn't Jacob.

Quil pulled me roughly away from the counter I was careening toward. So instead of slamming against hard, cold Formica, I slammed against hard, warm man-beast.

"Sorry," we both mumbled at the same time.

"I – I thought you were…" Quil continued.

"Jacob," I muttered.

"Oh, er…yeah. No, he's…he's out on patrol."

I looked up. Quil was rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Our eyes met and we both quickly looked away.

"Should be back around midnight," Quil added.

"Oh."

I didn't know about him, but my face felt warmer than usual. Could his face get warmer? Or, you know, any part of him…

"But yeah…" Quil cleared his throat. I realized I was staring and quickly looked him in the eye. "Leah caught a really strong vamp smell around the house so Jake sent me over to make sure you got back okay."

"More vampires?"

Quil nodded. "Looks like the leech's called in reinforcements."

I sighed and leaned against the counter. I heard a cheer from the television, shortly joined by Billy's own cheer. Quil and I stood silently and separately in the kitchen. I needed a hug. I hugged myself.

"Um, what are you doing?"

I looked up at the sound of Joe's voice. He was standing in the doorway, looking curiously at Quil and I.

"Nothing," we both said simultaneously.

Joe frowned then grabbed a cheeseburger from a platter on the stovetop. He walked out silently.

Super. Uncomfortable. Silence.

"Right, well," Quil spoke suddenly. "Should probably head out."

"Oh, you can stay. Have a burger. Watch the game." I rushed.

"Nah, you go ahead. I'll let Jake know you're back." He snatched up his truck keys and walked toward the front door. I followed him quietly.

"Stay inside," he muttered as he walked toward the door. "Please. Jake'll murder me if I let you leave the house."

Billy perked up as he opened the front door. "Not staying, Quil?" Billy turned away from the TV, but kept his eyes on the screen. "We've got plenty. And the game's getting good."

"No thanks Billy. Gonna go help Emily with Claire," Quil spoke up. He lowered his voice, his eyes flicking over to Joe on the couch. "Anything happens…you hear, see, or smell anything, you call me. Or call Emily. Billy's got both numbers."

I nodded.

And Quil was gone. He closed the door and he was gone.

I must have stood there for a bit too long because one of them cleared their throats. I turned. Joe was looking at me strangely. I ignored him and walked back in the kitchen.

I was going to be ok. Jake wouldn't leave me alone unless he knew I was safe. And in the bright lights of the kitchen, with Billy yelling at the TV and Joe typing on the computer and a cheeseburger on my plate, I did feel safe.

…

Two hours later, the game had ended. As usual, I couldn't keep up. I understood the rules and the principles, thanks to Joe constantly reminding me, but the teams never held my interest. I wrote it off as a male thing. My psychology teacher would have attributed it to primitive war instincts or something. I just blamed the broken chromosome.

Now I had holed myself up in my room, hoping that doing so would force me to get some writing done. After all, I had no Jacob to distract me for another few hours.

Only…now that I was completely alone, I couldn't remember the house creaking this much.

Seriously. I know houses creak. Especially old houses. And the Black's house wasn't exactly young. But it was creaking so often, I was sure it was trying to bury itself into the earth.

I didn't blame it. I felt like hiding too. I was already buried under a gigantic comforter and curled up in a corner on my bed. But it didn't quell the anxious feeling in my stomach: somewhere between food poisoning and hyperactive butterflies.

I tried to keep my mind on my notes. But for every sentence I wrote, I deleted two. My mind flitted around and my ears perked at every sound, straining for something familiar. I couldn't settle. Not with my mind running this rampant.

I wanted to run. I wanted to do something. The longer I stayed here in my corner in my blanket, the more insane I would grow. But if I ran, Randall would be on me the second I was out of Jacob's protective scent barrier.

Maybe if I talked to someone. Someone on the outside. Someone still completely and blissfully unaware of supernatural horrors. I picked up my phone and started to scroll through my contacts.

I could call my parents. My finger lingered over the house number as I weighed the consequences. My mom was usually great for conversation. I could talk to her about almost anything. However, she had an uncanny knack for hearing any minuscule hint of distress in my voice. The second she caught wind of my unease, I would be subject to her version of the Spanish Inquisition that would have made the Auto de Fe sweat. My dad, while less in tune with the fluctuation in my tone, still didn't hold much chance in placating me. If I was lucky, we might start discussing something, whether literature of current events; however, because I'd been secluded in La Push for weeks and he rarely had time to read leisurely, we'd probably fall into awkward and faltering small talk which neither of us had much interest in.

Ultimately, the fates made my decision for me. As I scrolled past my parents, my best friend Nessa popped up on my caller ID.

"Nessa?" I answered.

"Kathleen! I thought you were dead!"

I laughed. "No, just…preoccupied."

"What's up?"

"Uh…" Where did I start? I couldn't tell her about the wolf pack; Sam had sworn me to secrecy. And without the wolf pack, I had absolutely no hope of convincing her that a vampire was pursuing me. Nessa had little penchant for the absurd and unrealistic. She'd just fuss at me for letting my imagination get the better of me.

"Kathleen?" Nessa's voice brought me back.

"Sorry?"

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I could hear the unnaturally high tone the second the word passed my lips. Nessa jumped on it.

"Kathleen," her voice went serious, "tell me what's wrong."

"Jake left me alone and I'm freaking out."

"Oooh, Jake? I don't know a Jake. Who's Jake?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but my words turned into a shriek. Something – or someone – scratched at the window.

"Hello? You ok?"

My heart pounded against my ribcage, begging to get out.

"Kathleen?" Nessa.

"Huh?"

"What happened?"

"Uh…"

I stared at the window in terror, half expecting the glass to shatter and to see Randall crouched in the frame, snarling at me. His solid, lank frame would be silhouetted in the moonlight, tattered clothes waving gently in the wind. He wouldn't move. Neither would I. The only reason I would know it was him – besides the paralyzing fear mixed with the paralyzing charm – would be the eyes. Glowing red. Or impossibly purple. Or dead black. I couldn't decide which terrified me more. Then, before I could gather enough control of my vocal cords to scream, he would pierce them. He would leap at me, landing silently on the bed like a cat. On the landing, his teeth would sink effortlessly into my neck. Ice would turn to fire as he began to –

"KATHLEEN!"

I jumped violently. Nessa's shout brought me from my murderous reverie. The window was still solid. There was no vampire shadow.

"Sorry…" I muttered. "I heard a noise."

"What was it?"

"Um…hang on, I'll look." I climbed out of my blanket and sidled toward the window, trying to stay out of direct view of anything that could be peering in. I inhaled deeply, trying to gather up my limited courage. Just before I looked out, my eye caught a shadow on the wall. It was long and spindly and big. It waved lightly in the wind but otherwise didn't move. It looked evil but I had a feeling it wasn't. Realization dawned.

"It was a tree."

The line was silent. "A…tree?"

I set my jaw and looked out the window. The offending branch scraped against the window again as I glared at it. The stupid thing was mocking me.

Meanwhile, Nessa was mocking me on the phone. "You screamed…at a tree. Somehow, love, I think that's a little less effective than an axe."

I opened my mouth to explain. I couldn't. There was no way to relate my terror. She'd never understand. But Nessa didn't seem to want an explanation.

"So who's Jake?"

"Just a guy. Guy I'm staying with."

"You're living with a boy and you didn't tell me!"

"It's not like that!"

"Like hell," Nessa mumbled. "You're moving too fast, I can tell. You've known the guy, what, two weeks? And already you're living together?"

I could feel a smile growing on my lips as she berated me. "It's not like that, I swear. He lives with his dad. Joe and I have been staying here instead of a motel."

"He lives with his dad?"

"He's eighteen."

Nessa whistled. "Robbing the cradle, that's new," she taunted.

"He's very mature for his age," I managed through muffled laughter.

"Uh-huh. And you going mental because he's gone is the picture of health."

"Yeah, yeah," I sighed.

"All right, I'm done. So where is the boy toy tonight."

"Out. With friends."

"Uh-huh. And the assignment?"

I groaned. "Nes, there is literally nothing to do here."

"Except Jake."

"…if you were here right now, I'd smack you."

"I know."

"But seriously. I just can't think of reasons why someone should visit Forks when there's so much more to do in La Push."

"Like Jacob."

"Upgraded to a punch."

We laughed. Laughing felt good.

"Well, I'm just saying if Jacob's half as amazing as you gush and he's gotten you as distracted as Joe gripes about, I can see why you'd prefer where he lives."

I made a face. I knew she was right but I wasn't about to tell her that.

"How's college?"

Nessa groaned. "Dull, dull, dull. Can't wait to get out of here."

"Yeah."

We talked for a while until her phone battery died out. Then I was alone again.

I managed to force out a blurb about Forks, mostly about the smallness of the town and the friendliness of the people. I left out the grocery store, figuring tourists could discover for themselves the joys of shopping cart races. But I couldn't come up for anything else to say. There's only so many times you can talk about the oppressive number of trees before you sound like a lunatic.

I saved my work and put my laptop back on the desk. If I couldn't run outside, I could at least get out of my room. Maybe coffee would inspire a few more lines of fake gushing on Forks' supposed wonderfulness.

Billy had retired to his room after the game and I could see the light off from under the door. Canned laughter from some late night talk show echoed from the television but Joe seemed to have dozed off. I padded into the kitchen and began making coffee. I was just contemplating whether or not to add flavoring when I heard a noise.

This wasn't a scratch. It was a snap of gnashing jaws, followed by a low growl. The ruckus died out suddenly. Then a loud snarl at the window, as if the creature was standing inches away from me.

The door crashed open. I jumped.

"Oh, sorry, hon. Didn't know you were down here."

It was Jake. Jake was home. I exhaled shakily and released the mug. My fingernails had left marks on my palm from my death grip on the handle.

He came up behind me and hugged me. I fell into him gratefully, giving him the hug I had accidentally given Quil.

"Are you okay?" He pulled away a bit to look at me worriedly. "You're shaking."

"I'm just jumpy tonight."

"So you're making coffee?" A hint of a cheeky grin peeked through his worry.

I opened my mouth, but no retort came out. Instead, I turned back to the pot as it finished percolating. "So what was all that about?"

"Huh?" I heard the refrigerator open. "Oh. Got in a small argument with Leah. No big deal. She was baiting me."

"What else is new?"

"Right?" I turned to catch his grin. "So how'd you like Forks?"

"Ugh," I grumbled. "That's what it was. It was ugh."

He chuckled deeply. "Told you so. Hasn't your time been much better spent staying here?"

"All doubts are squashed. No matter how many crazy supernatural things are after me."

Jacob pulled me close to him again, his warm hand on the small of my back. "But some of those supernatural things aren't all bad, right?"

I shrugged playfully. "Eh. A couple of them are growing on me."

He chuckled again, cheeky smile in full bloom and mirrored in my own smile. He wrapped my hand in his and we walked upstairs, pausing only for me to switch off the TV.

He walked into my bedroom without invitation. I grinned and jumped on his back. He chuckled at me and kept walking without pausing.

"So how's my baby?" I asked, resting my chin on his shoulder.

"Much better. The new distributor came in today."

I kissed his cheek. "I was talking about you, silly."

"So was I." He turned quickly and snuck a kiss, his face blooming into a cheeky smirk.

I smiled into the crook of his neck and breathed in deep. His natural woody, earthy smell was more pronounced than usual and I fancied I still smell the musk of his wolf coat on his skin. It was comfortable, natural. Organic.

"So is it in yet?"

"Well not yet, but if you're in the mood…"

I glared at him playfully. "The distri…thingy. For the Bus."

"No, we'll have to go into town for it tomorrow. Sorry, sweetie, but you gotta go back to Forks."

"Ugh."

...

A/N: Review please. In exchange, I will try to write faster.


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